Positive Proteas ready for WTC final challenge
The Proteas men's side departed for their ICC World Test Championship final on Friday with an air of confidence about them ahead of the title match against Australia starting on 11 June at Lords.
Temba Bavuma, Shukri Conrad and their chargers will settle in the South of England for a week where they will play Zimbabwe in a four-day match before making the trip to London to face Australia at the iconic Lords cricket ground for a shot at a first ever Test Championship crown.
Australia and New Zealand are the two teams that have won the five-day showpiece and the Proteas could make it a clean sweep of Southern Hemisphere nations should they beat a strong Australia side.
Speaking at their official send-off event in Johannesburg on Friday, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma said he wants to his team to appreciate the fact that they are in a final.
"Firstly you want to embrace everything that comes with being in a final, all the emotions," Bavuma said. "Obviously Australia are a formidable opponent of ours; there is a lot of history there and a lot of intensity and fire.
"Making sure that we are ready for whatever they throw our way is crucial."
Bavuma has had a settled side to call on in recent years with very few changes to the test side over a prolonged period. Being able to rely on the same players has been a bonus for Bavuma and his team.
"It gives you a lot of confidence as a player and a captain to know that the guy next to you has been with you through this journey to get to this point.
"Under pressure you always lean on the guys around you and to know that we've been through those type of situations together will give us a lot of confidence."
Proteas and Hollywoodbets Dolphins spinner Keshav Maharaj is excited about the opportunity to have a shot at a World Cup title with a group of players that he has grown close to.
"The boys are excited and the preparations have been underway for a while for a lot of us," Maharaj said. "To be able to play at Lords which is a bucket list item for every cricketer and to play there in a final is extra special."
The Proteas squad for the World Test Championship final includes the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen. It's an exciting squad of players who will be out to make history for South African cricket.
Proteas Squad for ICC WTC Final:
Temba Bavuma (captain), Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, David Bedingham, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verrynne, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, Senuran Muthusamy, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, Dane Paterson.
