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As South Africa prepares to play in their first-ever ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, former Proteas stalwart AB de Villiers gave valuable advice and tactical perspective ahead of the all-important clash against Australia. The final, scheduled to begin on June 11 at the iconic Lord's in London, marks a significant moment for South African cricket as they chase a maiden WTC title.
While speaking to Star Sports around the historic venue, de Villiers emphasised the unique challenges posed by the conditions at Lord's, particularly the movement off the pitch and through the air that makes life difficult for batters. "Lord's is a tricky ground to play on. You've got the ball moving around more than most grounds in the world for a longer period of time," de Villiers said. "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. With Australia entering their second consecutive WTC final and South Africa making their first appearance, the stakes couldn't be higher. Australia, led by Pat Cummins, come in with the experience of having won the title in 2023, while the Proteas are looking to script a new chapter in their red-ball history. From a bowling standpoint, de Villiers stressed the importance of hitting fuller lengths to exploit the traditional Lord's assistance for seamers. "Lord's, you generally want to be a bit fuller as a seam bowler and try and get the best out of the conditions," he noted. "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. South Africa's pace attack, comprising the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi, is expected to play a pivotal role in swinging the momentum their way. With the unpredictability that Lord's offers, control and discipline with the new ball could define the outcome of the match. (ANI)
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