Australia, South Africa Compete World Test Championship Final Lord's

The World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa at Lord’s from June 11-15 highlights the culmination of the 2023-25 cycle where Australia finished second with 13 wins in 19 tests, including a drawn Ashes series and strong home performances against Pakistan and India. South Africa, playing fewer matches, topped the standings with key series wins against the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, despite criticisms of the competition's format. The WTC faces criticism for its uneven scheduling, allowing teams to decide the number of matches they play, which has led to disparities, such as South Africa playing only 12 tests and not facing top teams like England or Australia. Political tensions have prevented India and Pakistan, two major cricket nations, from competing against each other in Tests since 2007, further impacting the championship's integrity. Experts and former players have called the WTC format flawed and suggested extending the cycle to four years with a round-robin format involving all top teams. Despite the controversy, South Africa's coach defended their qualification by emphasizing victories over teams that have themselves beaten leading nations like India, Australia, and England.