South African sprinter Kagiso Rabada has sent a bold message to Australia, declaring that his team’s plans to defeat the Australians in the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final are already well underway.
The Proteas are gearing up for what promises to be a highly intense encounter at Lord’s in June following a dominant performance against Pakistan in their recent Test series.
Rabada was at the forefront of South Africa’s 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in Cape Town, taking six wickets to propel his team to a seventh successive Test victory.
This clean victory against Shan Masood’s Pakistan followed the previous two-wicket triumph at Centurion.
Pakistan, invited to progress, were bowled out for the second time, with David Bedingham’s stunning 47 off just 30 balls sealing their chase of 58 in just 7.1 overs.
In an interview after the victory, Rabada expressed his excitement for the upcoming WTC final against Pat Cummins’ Australia, acknowledging the historic rivalry between the two teams.
“South Africa versus Australia has always been an intense rivalry because we play cricket quite similarly. We play hard – and they will attack us hard, and we know that. But we also know how to beat them,” said Rabada.
His confidence is supported by South Africa’s recent success in Test cricket, the strongest format currently.
“Test cricket is our best format at the moment,” he said.
“When you look at South African cricket and all our legends, they have all been great Test cricketers. The best players in the world are Test cricketers, and this series against Pakistan has been a wonderful advertisement for Test cricket, especially in South Africa.” he added.
It is pertinent to mention that South Africa and Australia will face each other in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) at Lord’s from June 11 to 15.
Australia will play their second consecutive WTC final, having won the previous edition from 2021-23 after defeating India by 209 runs.
