A win by Temba Bavuma’s men at Lord’s marked a new high point for the World Test Championship, with South Africa becoming the first team outside the ‘Big Three’ to lift the ICC mace. In a time when the sport is in danger of being dominated by T20 tournaments, it was an encouraging sign that fans were still interested in the traditional form of the game.
Australia are the favourites for the final and have been on a remarkable run to reach this point. They have been in a tricky position since the start of the cycle, and had to beat India twice and Sri Lanka for a chance of making it to the final. But they pulled it off with a nerve-jangling series victory at Centurion, a match in which they lost a wicket in each innings.
The final will be played at the Oval on Wednesday, a fitting venue given the fact that it marks the third occasion that the final has been held in England. ICC officials have cited the English capital’s ability to host such high-profile events and the success of previous WTC finals at The Oval and Lord’s as key factors in the decision to keep the title clashes in the country.
The WTC was intended to shift the focus from individual Test series victories to a long league stage that culminated in a one-off final. While it has occasionally felt messy and tacked-on, the underlying principle of giving the world’s top teams a greater context beyond the existing rivalries should be celebrated.