South Africa are in another ICC final! A few months back they had a crushing day in Barbados, “chocking” their way against a mighty Indian team that was rather more hungrier for the coveted title. South Africa was hurt. However, exactly 6 months later, the joy in Centurion was just something else. When Marco Jansen smashed Mohammad Abbas for a four towards leg-side, the crowd erupted and skipper Temba Bavuma was quite emotional as South Africa scripted their maiden qualification to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final. They have booked their place for the summit clash, scheduled at the Lord’s on June 11.
South Africa really undeserving?
“Undeserving” might be a harsh word. After all, it undermines their superb run in red-ball cricket. The Proteas always have a gun T20 outfit but lacked that vigour, especially in terms of batting, in Tests. But here they are. Winning 7 Tests out of 11 and losing just three. At a normal view, this all look more “deserving.” But let’s look at deeper context. South Africa didn’t face either Australia or England. While they competed in two Tests against India, both came in South Africa.
All in all, South Africa played two Tests against New Zealand (home), two against the West Indies (away), two against Bangladesh (away), two against Sri Lanka (home) and now two against Pakistan (home). In an era where we are seeing England travelling to India for five games and Australia setting up another 5-game challenge for the BGT, South Africa didn’t play a single 3-match Test series in this WTC 2023-25 cycle.
SA20 > Test cricket
Moreover, it is the same South African outfit that put their WTC final aspirations in jeopardy to make space for cash-rich SA20 2024. Among the major news points leading up to the league, though, was the fact that South Africa sent a second-string team to New Zealand for a two-match Test series, with all of their major stars staying behind for the SA20. South Africa unsuprisingly went on to lose that series 2-0. It was the toughest challenge for them and yet none of their ‘A’ team players played that.
Think about England for a second. While SA will feature in a total of 12 Tests in this WTC cycle, England have finished their table after playing 22 games. They literally have 4 more wins (as of now) (11) than South Africa. Still, they were eliminated from the WTC Final race weeks ago. This is definitely a loophole in the World Test Championship. Teams would have an advantage playing just two-match series. While the Proteas should be credited for the cricket they played, the ICC should have a look at this. This just adds to the fact that only a one-off final is not the correct way to judge the winner. A three-tie final series should be put into place.
South Africa’s run for WTC Final 2025
| Series | Year | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Trophy (India in South Africa) | 2023/24 | Drawn | 1-1 (2) |
| Tangiwai Shield (South Africa in New Zealand) | 2023/24 | New Zealand | 2-0 (2) |
| Sir Vivian Richards Trophy (South Africa in West Indies) | 2024 | South Africa | 1-0 (2) |
| South Africa in Bangladesh Test Series | 2024/25 | South Africa | 2-0 (2) |
| Sri Lanka in South Africa Test Series | 2024/25 | South Africa | 2-0 (2) |
| Pakistan in South Africa Test Series | 2024/25 | – | 1-0 (2)* |
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