De Villiers warns Proteas, respect Lord’s conditions

London

Ahead of the highly anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord’s from June 11 to 15, former South African batter AB de Villiers has advised the Proteas batters to maintain caution and respect for the bowlers throughout the game.

De Villiers, speaking to Star Sports, emphasized the unpredictable and challenging nature of Lord’s, noting that batters are never truly “set” at the historic venue. “Lord’s is tricky. The ball moves longer than most places. My advice is to respect the bowlers from ball one to the end,” he stated.

He also urged bowlers to exploit the pitch conditions. “At Lord’s, you generally want to bowl a bit fuller. There’s always seam movement. Bowl full and straight,” he added. This WTC Final marks South Africa’s debut appearance in the tournament finale. Led by skipper Temba Bavuma, the Proteas topped the 2023–25 WTC table, securing a 69.44 points percentage with seven consecutive Test wins over West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan.

South Africa’s record at Lord’s includes 18 Tests, with six wins, eight losses, and four draws—highlighting the historical difficulty they face at the venue. Australia, meanwhile, are making their second consecutive WTC Final appearance, having defeated India at The Oval in 2023. The match at Lord’s will be the third WTC Final hosted in England, following Southampton’s Rose Bowl in 2021 and The Oval in 2023.