Australian batting great Steve Smith, speaking at Lord’s on Monday, anticipates a challenging contest against South Africa’s pace attack in the World Test Championship final starting Wednesday, where defending champions Australia are favored to win against the Proteas in the five-day match.Australia, who defeated India in the 2023 WTC final, will face South Africa’s formidable bowling lineup led by Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen.“South Africa have a particularly good bowling attack led by Kagiso Rabada, his record speaks for itself. Marco Jansen — they are a good side, they are here for a reason,” Smith said.Rabada, 30, has accumulated 327 wickets at an average of 22, while the 25-year-old Jansen has taken 73 wickets at 21.76 in his 17 matches.Smith, 36, has demonstrated exceptional performance at Lord’s, scoring 525 runs in five matches, including two centuries, at an average of 58.33.
“It’s a nice place to bat. Personally I’ve had a bit of success here. It takes a bit of time getting used to the slope, one end thinking you are falling over, the other you feel a bit tall. It’s a nice wicket to bat on but can change with the overheads, the ball swinging around, can get a bit tricky,” Smith stated.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Smith, whose career was affected by the 2018 ball-tampering incident against South Africa in Cape Town, noted that relations between the teams are now “pretty relaxed.”Regarding suggestions about extending the WTC final to multiple matches, Smith commented: “Maybe a three-match series would be good but good luck fitting it in the schedule, it’s pretty jam-packed as it is.”
