The ICC World Test Championship 2025 final between Australia and South Africa is drawing near, with the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground as the stage. Key figures to watch are Steve Smith, the former Australian captain, and Temba Bavuma, the South African skipper, both crucial for their teams during this WTC cycle. South Africa, under Bavuma’s guidance, has shown remarkable form, achieving seven straight wins to reach the final. The performance of these two experienced batsmen could be decisive in this high-scoring encounter.
Looking at the stats, Steve Smith has an extraordinary Test career. He has scored 10,271 runs in 206 innings across 116 matches, with a batting average of 56.74. He has 36 centuries and 41 half-centuries, making him one of Australia’s finest Test batsmen. Against South Africa, Smith has 854 runs in 21 innings of 13 Tests, with an average of 44.94, which includes 2 centuries and 4 fifties. In the World Test Championship, Smith has 4,072 runs in 89 innings across 53 matches at an average of 50.90, highlighted by 13 centuries and 17 half-centuries.
Temba Bavuma has played fewer Tests but is no less important to South Africa. He has played 63 Test matches, scoring 3,606 runs in 108 innings at an average of 37.95, which includes 4 centuries and 24 half-centuries. He has played 9 matches against Australia, scoring 483 runs in 15 innings, with an average of 40.25. He has yet to score a century against Australia, but his highest score is 95 not out. Bavuma’s WTC stats include 1,890 runs in 49 innings over 28 matches, averaging 43.95, with 3 centuries and 11 fifties, placing him as the second-highest African run-scorer in the tournament.