The ICC World Test Championship 2025 final, hosted at the historic Lord’s, will feature a clash between Australia and South Africa. The performances of Steve Smith, previously the Australian captain, and Temba Bavuma, the South African captain, will be closely scrutinized. Both players have been crucial to their respective teams’ journeys through the WTC cycle. South Africa, under Bavuma’s leadership, has demonstrated exceptional form, winning seven matches in a row to reach the final. The impact of these two experienced batsmen will likely be critical in determining the result of the match.
Steve Smith’s Test career statistics are impressive. He has accumulated 10,271 runs in 206 innings across 116 matches, with an average of 56.74. His record includes 36 centuries and 41 half-centuries, highlighting his status as a top Australian Test batsman. Against South Africa, Smith has scored 854 runs in 21 innings across 13 Tests, averaging 44.94, with 2 centuries and 4 fifties. In the World Test Championship, he has scored 4,072 runs in 89 innings of 53 matches, averaging 50.90, including 13 hundreds and 17 fifties.
Temba Bavuma, though having played fewer Tests than Smith, is a pivotal member of the South African team. He has participated in 63 Test matches, scoring 3,606 runs in 108 innings at an average of 37.95, with 4 centuries and 24 half-centuries. Against Australia, Bavuma has featured in 9 matches, scoring 483 runs in 15 innings, averaging 40.25. His highest score against them is 95 not out. In the WTC, Bavuma has amassed 1,890 runs in 49 innings across 28 matches, averaging 43.95, with 3 centuries and 11 fifties, making him the second-highest African run-scorer in the championship.