WTC Final 2025

[cricketnut14]

Thought i'd put this here.

Still a few months away but feel free to post the predictions, injury updates etc.

Interestingly Australia and South Africa never played each other in this WTC cycle.

The road to the WTC final:



15 man squads won't be named until May.

Australia have used 20 players in this cycle and South Africa have used 29.
South Africa used a staggering 9 more players in 7 less tests, however they did send a 'B' team to New Zealand.

You'd think the squads will come from the players used - unless someone makes their debut or plucked from obscurity not having played for 2+ years eg. renshaw, patterson, neser, jyhe etc.

Number of tests played by Aussies in this cycle:
19 - Smith, Khawaja, Head, Carey, Labuschagne
18 - Starc
17 - Cummins
16 - Lyon
14 - Marsh
13 - Hazlewood
8 - Warner
7 - Green
5 - Boland
3 - Webster, McSweeney, Murphy
2 - Inglis, Konstas, Kuhnemann
1 - Connolly

 

[cricketnut14]

with a bit of shield cricket to play out and not much else, this is where it seems to be at:

1. Khawaja
2.
3.
4. Smith
5. Head
6.
7. Carey
8. Cummins
9. Starc
10. Lyon
11.

*note: batting order may change slightly depending on who gets a gig.
3 batting spots between incumbents: labuschagne, webster & inglis with green, konstas, mcsweeney in the mix.
1 bowling spot between hazlewood & boland.

 

[Westend]

Got a feeling that marnus may open

 

[Westend]

Boland is a lock for me

Carey
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Boland

That’s confirmed for me hazelwood needs to get his body right for next years ashes

 

[philreich]

Will this be live on Foxtel?

 

[Jim Prideaux]

Boland is a lock for me

Carey
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Boland

That’s confirmed for me hazelwood needs to get his body right for next years ashes

Yeah, at this stage Boland should play. Is fit, and taking wickets in the shield too. Would really love to see Haze get on the front foot and maybe have a run in CC if he’s able, but I somehow doubt he will.

 

[Tugga27]

Will this be live on Foxtel?

Nope.

Amazon Prime.

 

[cats_09]

Will we have a any potential players lining up in county cricket ahead of the WTC final?

 

[MarcMaverick]

Nope.

Amazon Prime.

Well that sucks.

 

[MarcMaverick]

Will we have a any potential players lining up in county cricket ahead of the WTC final?

You'd hope so. Otherwise it'd be stupid.

 

[big_e]

Will we have a any potential players lining up in county cricket ahead of the WTC final?

This was the list on cricket.com.au a week or so ago.

 

[cricketnut14]

picking my squad now - as there's not much first class cricket between now and then.

we used 20 players in this WTC cycle and i think the 15 man squad will come from there. highly unlikely we will see a debutant or someone that hasn't played for 2+ years.

from the above list for me konstas, kuhnemann and connolly miss as well as marsh and obviously warner.

wouldn't surprise me if neser, patterson, rocchiccioli are pressing hard or make the wi tour.

Khawaja
Green
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Webster
Carey
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Boland/Hazlewood

Concussion coverage with a bat, keeper, spinner, quick:
McSweeney
Inglis
Murphy
Hazlewood/Boland

We will then no doubt have a couple of others link up with this squad for the west indies tour which follows a week later.

*Not sure if Green fits at the top of the order, but had to get him in. I think that was the selectors plans at the beginning of last summer anyways, until he got injured.

 

[Westend]

picking my squad now - as there's not much first class cricket between now and then.

we used 20 players in this WTC cycle and i think the 15 man squad will come from there. highly unlikely we will see a debutant or someone that hasn't played for 2+ years.

from the above list for me konstas, kuhnemann and connolly miss as well as marsh and obviously warner.

wouldn't surprise me if neser, patterson, rocchiccioli are pressing hard or make the wi tour.

Khawaja
Green
Labuschagne
Smith
Head
Webster
Carey
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Boland/Hazlewood

Concussion coverage with a bat, keeper, spinner, quick:
McSweeney
Inglis
Murphy
Hazlewood/Boland

We will then no doubt have a couple of others link up with this squad for the west indies tour which follows a week later.

*Not sure if Green fits at the top of the order, but had to get him in. I think that was the selectors plans at the beginning of last summer anyways, until he got injured.

Dont think green will open whisper is Marnus to open

 

[cricketnut14]

Dont think green will open whisper is Marnus to open

the opening conundrum may well continue.

11 tests since the warner retirement and we've used smith (4), mcsweeney (3) konstas (2) head (2) to partner usman.

it's interesting because prior to our summer, it was said smith wouldn't be opening but the same 6 bats would play (if fit).
green was deemed unfit and we then went searching for an opener. that says to me that green was the likely candidate to open, otherwise marnus would've opened and we would've played mcsweeney at 3.

things may now have changed, as they have with us handing out 5 test caps over the summer.

 

[Westend]

the opening conundrum may well continue.

11 tests since the warner retirement and we've used smith (4), mcsweeney (3) konstas (2) head (2) to partner usman.

it's interesting because prior to our summer, it was said smith wouldn't be opening but the same 6 bats would play (if fit).
green was deemed unfit and we then went searching for an opener. that says to me that green was the likely candidate to open, otherwise marnus would've opened and we would've played mcsweeney at 3.

things may now have changed, as they have with us handing out 5 test caps over the summer.

I can't see Konstas playing the Final....West Indies maybe but he didn't actually set the world alright in the back half of the shield when dropped from the test team

Marnus is not performing at 3 and with greenie coming back really think the only option if they want marnus which I think they do is to move him up to open with greenie or smudge batting 3/4 or vice versa

Might need another opener if ussie decides to play lol ...hope no formula one is on

 

[010203]

My XI if Travis Head is happy to open the batting

Head
Khawaja
Labuschagne
Smith
Inglis
Carey
Webster
Starc
Cummins
Lyon
Hazlewood (but I wouldn't be critical if they picked Boland).

 

[cricketnut14]

6 weeks to go and eagerly awaiting.

hoping some free to air network announce that they are going to picks this up.

surely the 15 squad squad will be announced soon as well as the couple of additions for the west indies tour.

not sure the squad will uncover a clearer picture of the final XI that will take the field though.

 

[Nepotism]

Don't listen to the so-called scribes.

South Africa is a big chance to win.

 

[cricketnut14]

Don't listen to the so-called scribes.

South Africa is a big chance to win.

dont think anyone is under estimating the south africans.

i think it will come down to Aussie batters v SA bowlers though.

 

[9874123]

I have to say, I disagree with all putting Trav as an opener. I just can't see it in English conditions. He is too valuable at 5. I get how it solves a lot of our problems in theory but I just don't think it would work.

I would have:

Ussie
Marnus
Smith
Green (Pure batsman, non-bowling like he is playing for GCCC)
Head
Carey
Webster
Cummins
Starc
Lyon
Boland

Konstas didn't look amazing in Shield, but he wasn't awful. Got a 50 and a 68 in 4th innings. Just too much of a risk to try him in brand new conditions in such an important test. But I think he should get a go in the Caribbean.

The prospect of both Khawaja and Marnus opening scares me a little with how slow it has the potential to be, but it might actually work out and if they can hang on for long enough it should help Smith play his natural game. He has basically been coming in after 8-10 overs at 4 for a while anyway.

Green, Head, Carey, and Webster should be a strong enough middle order to fight back if we get a couple top order failures, or enough to take the test away from the South Africans if we don't.

 

[Cleavy]

hoping some free to air network announce that they are going to picks this up.

it's on Amazon Prime, so probably unlikely

 

[010203]

Australia will probably win because they'll be better for longer but the last time the two countries faced off in red ball cricket isn't a good reference point because South Africa's batting order will look much different to what it was in the 2022-23 series here. Dean Elgar, Sarel Erwee, Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, Theunis de Bruyn and Kyah Zondo played as specialist batters here in 2022-23 and will be watching this match from the comfort of their living room.

The blokes who will be in their batting order obviously aren't the 2nd coming of Barry Richards, Graeme Pollock, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla or other great South African batsman you want to mention but I do think their batsman will do better than the last time they faced an Australian bowling attack in Test cricket.

 

[cricketnut14]

squad to be announced by May 11.

 

[Westend]

‘I am deeply sorry’: South African bowler Kagiso Rabada suspended for recreational drug use

‘I am deeply sorry’: South African superstar suspended for recreational drug use

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Westend]

Looks like Rabada out..huge for us