Australia’s champion pedigree faces South Africa’s gritty ambition in cricket’s WTC final

LONDON (AP) - When it comes to major cricket finals, Australia is in a league of its own.

Only Australia has won all four men’s global trophies. It is hard to beat in finals, having won 10 of 13 across the 50-over World Cup, 20-over World Cup, Champions Trophy, and World Test Championship. And let’s not get started on the women’s team, which is even more dominant.

The men go for world title No. 11 from Wednesday in the WTC final against South Africa at neutral Lord’s.

That ruthless focus Australia brings on the biggest stages is in marked contrast to South Africa, a perennial underachiever. The Proteas have won just one of cricket’s major international titles, the Champions Trophy’s inaugural predecessor in 1998, when most of the current Proteas were toddlers.

An experienced squad - average age 29 1/2 - compensates with a bond that can’t be underestimated, a determination to have each other’s backs.

That showed often in the 2023-25 WTC cycle as the Proteas, who used 30 players - more than any other team - found a run-scorer or wicket-taker at just the right time. They won their last seven tests and were first to qualify for the final.

"We haven’t been super dominant in our performances," South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said when the team qualified in December. "We definitely haven’t been clinical or ruthless when the opportunity or the situation is called upon. But I think what we’ve done is that we’ve found ways to make sure that the result is on our side."

Australia already had a veteran team when it won the 2023 final by crushing India by 209 runs at the Oval. Ten of that 11 are back. Only David Warner is missing, retired from the test format.

Medium-pace bowler Josh Hazlewood was injured and didn’t play, but he’s expected to replace one of the 2023 stars, Scott Boland. Hazlewood overcame a shoulder injury to spearhead Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a first Indian Premier League title last week with 22 wickets in 12 innings.

Warner’s permanent replacement at opener still hasn’t been settled. Sam Konstas made an audacious debut at age 19 in December against India, but Travis Head was preferred in Sri Lanka in February. They seem to be the main candidates.

Marnus Labuschagne has opened only once since 2016, and his form has dropped to the point of concern. He averaged just 28.33 in the WTC cycle and attempts last month to spark form at Glamorgan in the second tier of the English County Championship fell flat.

In the same division, allrounder Cameron Green scored three hundreds for Gloucestershire in a comeback from lower spine surgery which sidelined him for six months. But he’s not ready to bowl.

It may not matter. Australia has four of its top 10 all-time leading wicket-takers in Nathan Lyon (553, third), Mitchell Starc (382, fourth), captain Pat Cummins (294, eighth), and Hazlewood (279, 10th).

Steve Smith is locked in at No. 4 in the batting order. He turned 36 last week and hasn’t played in the top flight since March, just like Konstas, opener Usman Khawaja, Lyon, Boland, and wicketkeeper Alex Carey. But they’re entrusted with the knowhow to switch on when it counts.

Smith has four hundreds in his last five tests, and passed 10,000 career runs, almost as many as the South Africans. At Lord’s he averages 58.

Whoever opens with Khawaja will likely immediately face fearsome South Africa pacer Kagiso Rabada. Khawaja will have his hands full. He’s fallen to Rabada five times in 10 matches.

Rabada, with 327 wickets, is three away from tying Allan Donald for fourth place on South Africa’s all-time list. Rabada will have the company of left-armer Marco Jansen, who took 29 wickets in six matches in the cycle.

The third seamer will be either Lungi Ngidi, who was one of eight South Africans at the IPL, or Dane Paterson, who has been nipping the ball around for Middlesex in county division two.

South Africa has confirmed Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton as the openers and captain Bavuma at No. 4. They played in the IPL, too.

Middle-order batter David Bedingham, South Africa’s leading scorer in the cycle, proved in a warmup game against Zimbabwe that he’s recovered from a broken toe sustained in April.

The finalists didn’t meet in this cycle. Their last series was in January 2023, when Australia won 2-0 at home and dominated.

South Africa didn’t play England either. It topped the standings with eight wins from 12 tests despite forfeiting a series in New Zealand to focus on its domestic Twenty20 league.

Australia also didn’t play last-place Bangladesh. With 13 wins in 19 tests, Australia clinched its spot in the final by beating India in January. It lost only twice away from home.

Lord’s, the home of cricket, holds no demons for both teams.

South Africa has lost only once there in seven post-apartheid tests. The last appearance resulted in an innings victory inside three days in 2022.

Australia has not lost at Lord’s for 10 years.