Former England pacer James Anderson was tasked with picking a combined South Africa-Australia XI ahead of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final, and he made some bold, eyebrow-raising calls.
Notably, from June 11-15, the world’s best Test sides, defending champions Australia and South Africa, will lock horns at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London in the WTC final.
Australia headline the contest. They are aiming to retain the trophy they claimed in 2023. On the other hand, South Africa are making their debut in a WTC final. They are hungry to end their long wait for an ICC title.
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Also read: WTC 2025 Final: No Sam Konstas in WTC Final as Marnus Labuchagne set to open with Usman Khawaja
James Anderson’s WTC Final XI: Kagiso Rabada Over Mitchell Starc, 8 Aussies Make the Cut
Starting with the openers, James Anderson opted for the Australian duo of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, ignoring the South African pair of Tony de Zorzi and Ryan Rickelton. In the middle-order, Aiden Markram earned a nod ahead of Cameron Green, while Steven Smith and Travis Head were preferred over Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs respectively.
For the wicket-keeping role, Australia’s Alex Carey edged out South Africa’s Kyle Verreynne. Wiaan Mulder got the call over Australian all-rounder Beau Webster. Australian captain Pat Cummins was picked ahead of Marco Jansen.
The most difficult call, though, came when choosing between Mitchell Starc and Kagiso Rabada. Anderson appeared genuinely torn and almost pleaded before eventually siding with Rabada.
Nathan Lyon made it as the lone spinner, beating Keshav Maharaj. The fast-bowling trio was completed by the ever-consistent Josh Hazlewood, who got the nod over Dane Paterson.
All told, Anderson’s XI featured eight Australians, an admission that even he found hard to digest.
"It’s a lot of Aussies in there. I don’t like it at all,” Anderson said.
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James Anderson’s Advice for Seamers at Lord’s
James Anderson offered a slice of priceless insight for the seamers taking centre stage. Drawing from years of experience bowling at this venue, the English great highlighted the need to adjust the traditional Test match length.
"Here is definitely somewhere you need to pitch the ball up. A lot of people talk about the top of the off-stump being the ideal length, but I think here it's more than three-quarters up the stump. That way you are a little bit fuller in length, so that's my advice for the seamers," Anderson said as quoted.
