Route to the finalpublished at 10:02 British Summer Time 11 June
It’s been a World Test Championship cycle of two halves for South Africa.
In their first three series, the Proteas drew 1-1 with India (home), lost 2-0 in New Zealand (away), and drew 1-1 with West Indies (away), and were widely criticised for sending an inexperienced side to New Zealand to allow their high-profile players to play in the SA20 (South Africa’s flagship T20 franchise competition).
However, South Africa won each of their three remaining series – against Bangladesh (away), Sri Lanka (home), and Pakistan (home) – 2-0 to climb to the top of the table.
Australia kicked off the 2023-25 cycle with an Ashes tour to England, drawing the five-match series 2-2 and retaining the urn in the process.
They then beat Pakistan 3-0 and drew 1-1 with West Indies in consecutive home series before crossing the Tasman Sea to beat New Zealand 2-0.
Pat Cummins’ side booked their spot in the final in January 2025 by completing a 3-1 home win over India before finishing the league stage with a 2-0 win in Sri Lanka.
