Kagiso Rabada is part of the 15-member squad announced by South Africa for the WTC 2025 final. The final will be played at Lord's from June 11-15.
South Africa will be led by Temba Bavuma. They qualified for the final with 100 points and a PCT of 69.44. Australia qualified for the final with 154 points and a PCT of 67.54.
Speedster Kagiso Rabada has been included in the side, bolstering the pace attack despite his recent failed drug test. He missed a major part of the IPL 2025 before the postponement after testing positive for a banned recreational drug, as per reports.
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Anrich Nortje, Gerald Coetzee Missing For SA
However, he will be leading the pace attack that has the likes of Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen. Bavuma will be leading the side and will also have a key role with the bat.
Besides him, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton form the batting core. Though the squad looks competitive, there are a few key absentees, especially in the pace attack.
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Gerald Coetzee and Anrich Nortje are the two key names missing. Both the pacers recently played before the IPL was postponed. Both have injury concerns lingering still, which is why they were not considered for selection. Nandre Burger, who was roped in as Rajasthan Royals' replacement, has just recovered from lower back stress, and he was not considered for selection as well.
Keshav Maharaj and Senuran Muthusamy are the two spinners picked for the WTC final. Â Muthusamy has not played since the Test series against Bangladesh last October.
The squad looks good overall, while the batting positions for some batters will be a concern. There are as many as four openers in the side, including Bavuma, de Zorzi, Markram and Rickelton. How it gets sorted out will be an observation. The batting position of Tristan Stubbs will also be something interesting to watch.
“Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked hard to build a competitive red-ball unit, and this achievement reflects that progress,” head coach Shukri Conrad said.
“A key part of our success has been consistency in selection, and we’ve stuck with the core group of players who have been part of this WTC cycle. We’ve selected a balanced squad for the conditions we expect at Lord’s,” he added.
South Africa Squad For WTC 2025 Final
Temba Bavuma (c), Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Kyle Verreynne (wk), David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Senuran Muthusamy, and Dane Paterson.
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