Aus, SA name squads for WTC final

Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa on Tuesday unveiled their squads for the highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final, scheduled to take place at Lord's next month.

For Australia, the squad sees the return of all-rounder Cameron Green, who has fully recovered from a back injury that sidelined him since March 2024. Green has been included not only for the WTC final but also for the upcoming Test series in the Caribbean, the squad for which was announced on May 13. In addition to Green, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have also been recalled to the Test squad after missing the 2025 Champions Trophy due to injuries. Both players made their return to competitive cricket in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but Hazlewood missed the final match for Royal Challengers Bangalore with a shoulder issue and was uncertain to play before the IPL was temporarily suspended.

Brendan Doggett, who was named Player of the Match in the Sheffield Shield final, has been included as the sole travelling reserve for the squad. The rest of the squad remains largely unchanged from the team that secured series wins over Sri Lanka (2-0) and India (3-1) last summer. George Bailey, the Chair of selectors, expressed his excitement over the return of key players and praised the team's recent performances.

"We are fortunate and looking forward to having Pat (Cummins), Josh (Hazlewood), and Cam (Green) back in the squad," Bailey said.

"The team finished the WTC cycle with an impressive series victory in Sri Lanka following an equally strong summer in defeating India for the first time in a decade," he added.

"Those series capped a consistent performance across the two-year cycle and now presents us with the incredibly exciting opportunity to defend the World Test Championship. It means a lot to the group to reach the final and they are very much looking forward to the challenge South Africa will present at Lord's," he concluded.

Australia will be aiming to become the first team to successfully defend the World Test Championship title.

Meanwhile, South Africa will be led by captain Temba Bavuma in what promises to be an intense battle for the prestigious Test mace. South Africa's chances have been boosted by the return of fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, who has fully recovered from a groin injury that kept him sidelined during the home season. Ngidi has since played in white-ball matches and international T20 leagues, demonstrating his fitness and readiness for the big contest.

The selectors have mostly stuck with the core group of players, making only two changes to the squad that recently faced Pakistan. Promising young pacer Kwena Maphaka has been left out to make space for Ngidi, while top-order batter Matthew Breetzke also misses out. The batting line-up will be anchored by Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, and Aiden Markram at the top, with Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, and David Bedingham providing stability in the middle order. Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne will add balance and spark to the lower order.

South Africa's campaign in the WTC included 12 Tests, of which they won eight. After drawing their home series against India 1-1 and suffering a 2-0 loss in New Zealand, they made a strong comeback, winning series against the West Indies (1-0), Bangladesh (2-0), Sri Lanka (2-0), and Pakistan (2-0).

Meanwhile, Australia has also announced their 15-member squad for the final, which includes the return of all-rounder Cameron Green. South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson.

Australia's Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

Travelling Reserve: Brendan Doggett.