The biggest moment in South Africa’s recent Test history is almost here. The team is getting ready to face Australia in the World Test Championship Final 2025, which will begin on June 11 at Lord’s.
As anticipation builds, former captain AB de Villiers has offered some timely and important words for the team, especially for the batters who’ll walk out on that unpredictable London pitch.
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This is the first time South Africa will appear in a WTC final. For Australia, however, this is familiar territory after winning the previous title in 2023.
The experience gap is clear but the Proteas have a strong squad and will be hoping for a big performance in their hunt for their first ICC trophy in over two decades.
What advice did AB de Villiers have for South African batters?
De Villiers, one of South Africa’s most respected cricketing voices, spoke about the nature of the Lord’s pitch.
He warned the team that they must not relax at any point during their innings, as the ball tends to move both through the air and off the surface far more than at other grounds.
MORE: Where will Steve Smith bat in the WTC final vs SA?
He stressed that no batter should assume they’ve ‘settled’ just because they’ve faced a few balls. At Lord’s, the challenge never truly fades.
"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," De Villiers said on Star Sports.
"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," he added.
How should South Africa’s bowlers approach this final?
While his advice for batters was cautious, de Villiers encouraged the Proteas bowlers to be brave. He suggested that bowling fuller lengths could be the key to making the most of Lord’s seaming conditions.
MORE: WTC Final 2025: What is South Africa's record in Tests at the Lord's?
"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 said.
With the likes of Rabada, Jansen and Ngidi in the attack, South Africa have the firepower. The challenge will be maintaining accuracy over long spells.