Rabada sends WTC warning to Australia

Proteas are gearing up for a highly intense encounter at Lord's in June

South African speedster Kagiso Rabada has sent a bold message to Australia, declaring that his team's plans to defeat the Aussies 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, claiming six wickets to propel his side to a seventh consecutive Test win.

This clean sweep against Shan Masood's Pakistan followed their earlier two-wicket triumph in Centurion.

Pakistan, asked to follow on, was bowled out for a second time, with David Bedingham's blistering 47 off just 30 balls sealing the chase of 58 in just 7.1 overs.

In an interview after the win, 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're going to come hard at us, and we know that. But we also know how to beat them," said Rabada.

His confidence is backed by South Africa's recent success in Test cricket, their strongest format at present.

"Test cricket is our best format right now," he said.

"When you look at South African cricket and all our legends, they've all been great Test cricketers. The world's best players 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 both South Africa and Australia will face off in the final of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) at Lord's from June 11-15.