Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
The Proteas, under skipper Temba Bavuma, ended a 27-year-long drought for an ICC trophy by defeating Australia in the WTC final at Lord's recently with Rabada taking nine wickets in the match.
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Pakistan beat South Africa by six wickets in Wednesday's high-scoring contest in Karachi but not before tempers flared in the first innings when the tourists were batting.
Six uncapped players named in South Africa ODI squad
Kyle Verreynne revealed his emotions almost got the better of him before he hit the winning runs to end South Africa's wait for a global trophy.
South Africa picked an experienced 15-man squad for next month's Champions Trophy in Pakistan with 10 players having competed at the last World Cup in India in late 2023.
Australia finished second in the league table during the 2023-25 WTC cycle, behind South Africa, having claimed 67.54 per cent of the points on offer to them.
The result is a boost for South Africa, who need a clean sweep of the series to stay on course for guaranteed qualification for the World Cup in India this year.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy second Semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore on Wednesday
When I think of the character of this team, our never-say-die attitude stands out. There are only three of us who have played over 50 Tests, but we never back down from a challenge
Speaking to PTI, Lamb also spoke passionately about his playing days with Kapil Dev in County cricket and why he rates Sachin Tendulkar over Sunil Gavaskar and Virat Kohli.
Temba Bavuma has recovered from injury and will take charge
New Zealand booked their place in the final of the Champions Trophy against India after a 50-run victory over South Africa.
The chinks in India's pace bowling armour were badly exposed in the three-match T20s against Australia.
As the battle for semi-final berths intensifies in Group B, top-ranked South Africa will aim to assert their dominance and secure a spot in the final four when they face a struggling England in a high-stakes Champions Trophy clash in Karachi on Saturday.
'I have a deep affection for Indian cricket. If someone asked me to come back, I wouldn't say no.'
Captain Temba Bavuma hailed what he termed South Africa's brave decision to bat first in their comprehensive 107-run Champions Trophy win over Afghanistan on Friday
'I don't know what the maths looks like but we're playing good cricket and we want it to continue.'
'The next game is obviously a big one for us against the Netherlands in Adelaide. Have to put this one behind quickly, take whatever learnings we can.'
Australia and South Africa, two teams renowned for their batting prowess, will go head-to-head in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, aiming to secure a place in the Champions Trophy semifinals.
South Africa roped in left-arm spin bowling all-rounder George Linde as a cover for the injured Aiden Markram ahead of their Champions Trophy semi-finals against New Zealand.
As the PSL coincided with the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season, Bosch opted out of the PSL, leading the PCB to issue him a legal notice for an alleged contract violation.
Openers De Kock (78) and Janneman Malan (91) excelled with the bat as South Africa easily overhauled India's total of 287 for 6 and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
'We could have pushed harder at certain stages of our innings, but everyone chipped in to make sure we had competitive total.'
The Proteas will now face the Group A runners-up in the semifinals, with India and New Zealand set to battle for Group A placings in Dubai on Sunday.
Salman Agha and Mohammad Rizwan both struck centuries as Pakistan completed their highest successful run chase in ODIs with a six-wicket win over South Africa.
'There is not much we can do as players, but there is that disparity in the number of games. We have to find a way mentally to meet the challenge.'
South Africa's openers have struggled and the skipper said losing Quinton de Kock to injury has affected the team.
Spinner Keshav Maharaj took five wickets as South Africa secured a 109-run victory over Sri Lanka on the last day of the second Test.
Temba Bavuma scored an unbeaten half-century as South Africa reached 233 for four at end of Day 1
Seamer Dane Paterson took a career-best 5-71 and Temba Bavuma was unbeaten on 48 as South Africa closed the third day
Aiden Markram will replace Temba Bavuma as South Africa captain for the first Test against Bangladesh later this month, Cricket South Africa said on Friday.
New Zealand and South Africa, both laden with world-class talent but often falling short in ICC tournaments, will face off in a tightly contested Champions Trophy semifinal.
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes South Africa has a slight edge over New Zealand in their Champions Trophy semifinal clash.
South Africa have a chance of reaching the 2025 World Test Championship final but would likely have to win both Tests against Sri Lanka, and the two-match home series with Pakistan that includes Boxing Day and New Year fixtures.
Debutants Afghanistan will aim to continue their impressive rise in white-ball cricket, while South Africa will once again attempt to shed the 'chokers' tag when the two sides kick-off their Champions Trophy campaign in Karachi on Friday.
Ryan Rickelton scored a maiden Test century as the hosts finished on 269-7 against Sri Lanka on the opening day
'Hard one to swallow for the guys. We had the confidence and the belief to get to the knockouts. You can pick out a lot of things when you lose that way.'
South Africa have now won six successive Tests, starting with success in the West Indies in August and following it with two-Test series wins in Bangladesh and then home to Sri Lanka last month.
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