Australia vs South Africa, WTC Final: AB de Villiers urges Proteas batter to respect bowlers at Lord’s | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: Prior to the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia, AB de Villiers, the former South African batter, has advised the Proteas batting lineup to maintain consistent respect for bowlers throughout all stages of the match at Lord’s.The upcoming one-off Test match from June 11-15 marks South Africa’s debut appearance in a World Test Championship final against Australia. Their historical record at Lord’s spans 18 Tests, resulting in six victories, eight losses and four stalemates.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“Lord’s is a tricky ground to play at. You’ve got the ball moving around more than most grounds in the world for a longer period of time. You’re never in, and that’s probably my best advice to the batters, to sort of respect the bowlers, whether it’s the first over or the 67th over. You’re never in, so just respect the game,” de Villiers told Star Sports.“Lord’s, you generally want to be a bit fuller as a seam bowler and try and get the best out of the conditions. There’s always a bit of seam movement for the seam bowlers. So I would probably urge my bowlers to bowl full and straight for as long as possible,” he added.
Poll
Will the historical record of South Africa at Lord’s affect their performance in the final?
Under Temba Bavuma‘s leadership, South Africa secured the top position in the 2023-25 WTC rankings, achieving seven consecutive wins against West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, resulting in a 69.44 points percentage.
Lord’s will be the third English venue to host the WTC finals, following Southampton’s Rose Bowl (2021) and London’s The Oval (2023). A reserve day has been allocated for June 16 to compensate for any potential time lost during the scheduled five-day match.
