England's Richard Illingworth and Chris Gaffaney of New Zealand will be the on-field umpires in the WTC final at Lord's.
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.
Root reached the milestone during his 69th WTC appearance - a single pushed to deep backward square leg brought up yet another half-century and sealed his place in the record books.
A look back at the thrilling encounters between India and New Zealand in ICC tournament knockout stages, highlighting key moments and memorable performances.
A struggling, but promising South African unit will be aiming to avenge the heartbreak of 2024 by securing the grandest prize in T20I cricket on Indian soil, with the Proteas' 'Gen-Next' of Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kwena Maphaka in the spotlight.
Seeking to restore structure and respect to the longest format, Gill has asked the BCCI for a 15-day preparation window before every Test assignment, a move that has resonated strongly with former cricketers.
The ICC has promised concessions to the PCB for ending its boycott of the India match, but details will be revealed only after the T20 World Cup, sources said.
On Tuesday evening, Gill led his team and support staff into West Yorkshire, travelling via a special train arranged from London.
South Africa's leading paceman Kagiso Rabada says it is time to move on from the euphoria of beating Australia in the World Test Championship final while admitting a belated major trophy success has come as a relief to his team.
The 2025 final will be played between Australia and South Africa at Lord's from June 11.
CSA's director Enoch Nkwe changed his stance, saying higher-level talks were happening between CSA, the BCCI, and IPL franchises, suggesting CSA had little choice in the matter.
'Did you see the ICC video?? Meant to be celebrating the WTC final -- but instead has 11 shots of Jay Shah in it.'
Ben Stokes and Co. were also fined 10 per cent of their match fee after the Test, which they won by 22 runs on Monday.
Despite the impressive record that the WTC finalists are in possession of, Bangar doesn't believe the Proteas or the Baggy Greens will receive an edge over the other in the Ultimate Test, which is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald hinted at a rejig in the top order after misfiring in the World Test Championship final defence against South Africa at Lord's.
Kevin Pietersen criticises England after their Ashes loss in Adelaide
The current WTC system awards the same number of points -- 12 for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw -- which has given rise to discontent that India, England and Australia -- the Big Three in cricket -- "are disadvantaged as they play more games against each other".
South Africa go into the five-day clash at Lord's, which starts on Wednesday, as underdogs but Conrad struck an optimistic tone at a press conference on Monday.
Pakistan on Sunday announced a boycott of its high-profile men's T20 World Cup group league match against India, a move that is likely to have repercussions, even as the government cleared the national team's participation in the rest of the global event, starting February 7.
The ICC is ready to sanction four-day Tests for smaller nations in the 2027-29 World Test Championship cycle but India, Australia and England can still play the traditional five-day matches.
Temba Bavuma and his son Lihle celebrated with the ICC Test Championship Mace, marking South Africa's most memorable cricketing moment.
Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
South Africa are the World Test champions and skipper Temba Bavuma wants them to play like it and prove their credentials in the two-Test series against India beginning on Friday.
Drugs ban gives Rabada extra motivation for WTC final, says the Proteas captain
Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
Lord's suffers a loss of 4 million pounds in ticket sales due to India's absence in WTC final.
South Africa pulled off a sensational victory inside three days of the opening Test against India on Sunday and the manner of it would go a long way in silencing those who doubted their credentials as the reigning world test champions.
For Ian Smith, a player of Rishabh Pant's calibre walks into any T20 side and hence the former New Zealand stumper finds it baffling that the keeper-batter hasn't been picked for the upcoming World Cup starting in less than three weeks' time.
The spotlight in the World Test Championship Final is on the electrifying duel between Australia's batting mainstay Steve Smith and South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada.
Throughout the Test series, Indian batters struggled against a strong South African bowling attack. Indian batters averaged just 15.23 across the two-match Test series against South Africa.
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets to win World Test Championship
Rabada spent a month on the sidelines at the Indian Premier League after testing positive for a recreational drug at this year's SA20 competition.
Australia stormed to the top of the ICC World Test Championship 2025 standings with a thumping 10-wicket victory over India in the second Test at Adelaide.
With just one match left in the series, Rohit Sharma and his men face a steep challenge to secure their spot in the final at Lord's next year.
Asked about losing yet another toss, Gill quipped, 'I think the only toss that I'm going to win is hopefully in the WTC finals.'
From Royal Challengers Bengaluru's historic first IPL title to star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra finally breaking the iconic 90-meter mark to India women winning their first cricket World Cup, this was the year of long-awaited victories and record-breaking feats.
Pandya has played 11 Test matches for India, scoring 532 runs at an average of 31.29 with a century and four fifties, along with 17 wickets at an average of 31.05 under his belt.
The Indian men ruled white-ball cricket, while South Africa ended decades of hurt by winning the World Test Championship at Lord's. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally lifted their maiden IPL title, though the celebrations were dimmed by a deadly stampede. Above all, it was India's women who won a billion hearts by finally adding an ICC World Cup trophy to the cabinet.
Despite consistently reaching the WTC finals in the past two cycles, where they faced New Zealand and Australia but fell short, India's chances for a third consecutive appearance are now at risk.
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
