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‘You are not going to get rid of chokers tag’: Mark Boucher, claims Temba Bavuma’s South Africa can transform Test cricket with WTC Final victory | Cricket News

Danijones10 hours ago05 mins

Former South Africa cricket head coach Mark Boucher believes a victory for the Temba Bavuma-led South African team in the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s on June 11 could revitalize Test cricket in South Africa. The team secured their first-ever WTC final appearance after winning seven consecutive Tests and topping the 2023-25 cycle points table with a 69.44 percentage.South Africa is currently preparing for the crucial one-off Test with a warm-up match against Zimbabwe at Arundel.“A lot of people have criticised South Africa, which is not really fair. You play what’s in front of you, and with all due respect, the sides that we’ve played against, we probably should have beaten, and we’ve done that. So we find ourselves in a final,” Boucher said.“But I wouldn’t say that it has got the crowds going in our country. Everyone’s very excited about it now, as the opportunity arises, a lot of people are going to travel over to London, spend all their Rands, and go watch what should be a good match. If we win it, I think that could be the turnaround for Test cricket in our country,” he added. Arshdeep Singh: The Poet Who Bowls Thunder | Stories from His Father & Coach The Lord’s clash marks the second ICC title match appearance for the men’s team following their runner-up finish in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup. The women’s team has also finished as runners-up in consecutive T20 World Cups.“We’re playing for a trophy, so I guess a lot of people are saying no [we can’t win], but I think it’s a different feel in Test match cricket. It’s played over a longer period of time, and you’ve just got to win big moments in the game as well. Yes, there will be that tag [chokers] that gets thrown our way until we win a trophy,” Boucher stated.“You’re not going to get rid of the tag. Is it deserving of these youngsters coming through? No, it’s almost like they’re carrying the burden of what happened in previous years, which is always going to be tough on them, but they’re the ones in control of their futures at the moment,” he continued.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Boucher expressed confidence in opener Ryan Rickelton and batsman Tristan Stubbs for the upcoming final.“Ryan Rickelton has been playing nicely for Mumbai Indians (MI), and he was actually on the tour that we went to England (in 2022) as well. He’s actually played quite a few games in England as well, so he’ll know the conditions,” he remarked.“And Tristan Stubbs has come back and played a lot of domestic cricket and basically forced his way into the Test side because of the runs that he’s got. On paper, Australia will probably feel that they’ve got a better batting line-up than what we have, but have we got the attitude to go out there and, in a one-off game, just leave it all out there? Absolutely,” Boucher concluded.

Australia vs South Africa, WTC Final: Tom Moody predicts winner, says ‘winning mentality is ingrained in them’ | Cricket News

Danijones15 hours ago04 mins

Pat Cummins of Australia (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Tom Moody, the former Australian cricketer, asserts that Australia’s success in high-stakes matches has been consistent across generations, demonstrating exceptional performance levels ahead of their World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa.The ICC’s prestigious mace will be contested between South Africa and Australia from June 11 at Lord’s.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Whilst South Africa seeks their first ICC silverware in more than 20 years, Australia, under Pat Cummins’ leadership, aims to maintain possession of the mace they secured by defeating India in the previous WTC final at the Oval in June 2023.“The Australians have built that reputation through consistent success in major tournaments. When it comes to ICC events, Australia somehow elevates their game to another level as a team. They genuinely embrace the challenges of tournament cricket and thrive under the pressure of these high-stakes matches. Gautam Gambhir sends stern message after Bengaluru tragedy “It’s also about confidence. Historically, many of their players have won multiple ICC tournaments, and they’ve grown up watching previous generations achieve the same success. That winning mentality is ingrained in them,” Moody commented on Star Sports.The Proteas have demonstrated excellent form in ICC events over the past two years, reaching the semi-finals of both the ICC Men’s World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy, the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and now qualifying for the ICC WTC final.According to Moody, Australia possesses a marginal advantage over South Africa, primarily due to their extensive experience in high-pressure encounters.“You need to trust your instincts and make sure that you sort of cut out the negativity of the fact that you haven’t played Test cricket for several months, or you’re suddenly turning up in England and you’ve got completely different conditions. That’s the nature of Test cricket, and that’s the beauty of Test cricket, being able to adapt and evolve on the move to be able to respond when you need to. So, I think both teams will be very aware of that. I think Australia has got a slight advantage purely because they’ve played more big matches than South Africa have over recent years,” he concluded.