SA vs AUS, WTC Final 2025: Travis Head eyes Ajinkya Rahane's all-time record vs South Africa at Lord's

The highly anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa is underway at Lord's. Travis Head is expected to be a pivotal player for the Australians. Known for his performance in crucial matches, he has previously scored centuries in the last two ICC finals—the WTC Final and the World Cup final—against India. The left-handed batsman is also on the verge of achieving a significant milestone in the WTC Final, needing just 19 runs to surpass Ajinkya Rahane.

For those who may not know, Rahane currently holds the record for the most runs scored in WTC Finals, totaling 199 runs across four innings. So far, Head has accumulated 181 runs in just two innings during the WTC summit clash and is only 19 runs shy of becoming the leading run-scorer in the finals of the longest format of cricket.

Head achieved the highest individual score of 163 runs against India in the final of the second WTC edition, earning him the player of the match award for his outstanding performance.

Top run-scorers in WTC Finals:

Ajinkya Rahane 199

Travis Head 181

Steve Smith 155

Rohit Sharma 122

Virat Kohli 120

Regarding the current WTC Final, Australia is striving for their fourth ICC title in four years. Conversely, South Africa has not secured an ICC trophy in the past 27 years, with their last victory being the ICC knockout trophy in 1998. The Proteas reached the final of the T20 World Cup and were close to clinching the title, but India's Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah rose to the occasion to overcome them.

This time, however, South Africa is prepared for the challenge, having remained unbeaten in their last seven Tests.

SA vs AUS WTC Final Playing XIs

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma(c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

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