Africa-Press – South-Africa. It could be assumed that two teams battling it out for supremacy in the World Test Championship final would have stability at the top of the batting order, but that’s not the case for either Australia or South Africa.
Less than a month before the coin is tossed at Lord’s, the finalists are still pondering the composition of their top order.
For Australia it’s a question of who will open the batting with the veteran Usman Khawaja.
The Proteas, meanwhile, are clear about Aiden Markram opening with Ryan Rickelton — but it’s the No 3 spot that will be a point of debate when they reach London.
“The rest of the batting is about the balance we want to go with. Whether Tony [de Zorzi] slots in at No 3 or in the middle order, conditions will determine that,” said Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad.
De Zorzi missed South Africa’s last Test against Pakistan with a hamstring injury, allowing Rickelton to produce his heroics with a double hundred in the New Year’s Test. But De Zorzi, who opened in the rest of the matches last season, is not the only option for the No 3 spot.
Wiaan Mulder batted in that position in Cape Town, without making an impression, while Tristan Stubbs, who Conrad had strongly backed at No 3 last year, has batted at No 4 in South Africa’s last four Tests.
“It’s a work in progress. In this mulling head of mine I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it will look like,” said Conrad.
Stubbs averages 44.71 at No 3 but seven of those eight innings’ came on slower and lower pitches in the West Indies and Bangladesh. His average of 23.37 at No 4 is flaky but includes the two-day match against India in Cape Town that was played on a pitch that was sanctioned by the ICC.
The balance of the starting team, which skipper Temba Bavuma admitted would make for much harder discussions than what took place regarding the 15-man squad, depends on how many bowling options the Proteas want.
Mulder gives them five bowlers — and Stubbs could still be included at No 4 — lengthening the batting. Though Mulder made just five on a flat Newlands deck, South Africa did rack up a first innings of 615, with Rickelton, Bavuma and Kyle Verreynne making hundreds against Pakistan.
Australia have a better attack than the Pakistanis, however, making solidity at No 3 critical.
“Wiaan is technically sound enough to bat at No 3,” said Conrad.
Meanwhile, the Australians are mulling the makeup of their opening combination, which since David Warner’s retirement in 2024 has seen Khawaja accompanied by four different teammates.
One of those was Steve Smith, but that experiment lasted just four matches, after which Nathan McSweeney was “Bumrah-ed” last season.
His replacement Sam Konstas looked flashy, but despite being picked in the squad for Lord’s doesn’t appear to have the trust of the Australian selectors.
Travis Head, so often the scourge of the Proteas, opened in Sri Lanka — but those conditions differ vastly from what Lord’s offers. Besides, Head’s success in the middle order is too valuable for that kind of experimentation and reports from Down Under suggest Marnus Labuschagne or Josh Inglis, normally a middle-order batter, may serve as Khawaja’s fifth different partner in the past 18 months in the final.
“I know there is a prevailing thought that it is a specialised role, but I think in certain conditions there are opportunities at different times where other guys could do it,” Australia’s selection convener George Bailey said.
“I think [Josh] could do it — but I’ve said the same about Marnus.”
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