Proteas quick expects Lord's to favour his side in WTC Final

As the blockbuster clash between mace-holders Australia and South Africa draws near, interest in the cricketing world grows on how the two sides stack up before the final.

Versatile South Africa pacer Anrich Nortje only recently returned from a serious back injury when turning out in the Indian Premier League, but the 31-year-old has experience aplenty in the Proteas Test setup with 70 scalps from his 19 Tests.

While Nortje hasn't played a Test since 2023 having taken a break from the longest format last year, the fast bowler still managed to provide some insight into how he expects the one-off Test at Lord's will pan out.

Nortje gave a two-fold reason for expecting South Africa’s first ICC Men’s trophy since 1998 will come against Australia, with the right-armer indicating that playing in English conditions at Lord’s is something that the Proteas are well accustomed to.

Potential teams for South Africa and Australia in WTC Final

South Africa have won five of their last seven contests at the iconic London venue, with their most recent success coming in form of an innings win against England in 2022.

“Lord's has been a good ground for South Africa. I think the team's done really well there over the past,” Nortje said in an interview with Hindustan Times.

“It's an exciting time. It's obviously a massive tournament and a massive opportunity for South Africa. So we're really excited to see how that can pan out.”

Nortje also looked at South Africa’s recent form in the Test arena, which saw them finish on top of the World Test Championship standings and become the first side to book their place in the one-off decider.

Since the away series loss to Australia in January 2023, South Africa have notched up five wins and a draw from their seven Test series, with the only loss coming in when an understrength team faced New Zealand away from home.

“The boys have been doing well over the last few years. The coach (Shukri Conrad) has really brought in some positive energy and changed a few things. But the way they've been playing, it's been brilliant to see everyone sort of chipped in," Nortje added.

“Everyone's performed different combinations at times. But everything's sort of been towards trying to win the games, which is what you want at the end of the day.”

Nortje was fairly excited about the Temba Bavuma-led side’s prospects against the Aussies next month.

“I think it's a really great team. And I'm really excited to see them lift the trophy," he added.