SA-C vs AUS-C Preview | Clash for top spot as South Africa Champions set to take on Australia Champions in WCL 2025

ByUmesh Sharma,SportsCafe Editor

Yesterday at 11:43 PM

South Africa Champions will face the Australia Champions in the battle of bests in the ongoing World Championship of Legends 2025, at the Headingley in Leeds. This game will be an all-important clash for the top spot in the tournament’s points table, as the winning side will be the table leaders.

After defeating the India Champions by 4 wickets in the last game, the Australia Champions will face the South Africa Champions in the upcoming game of the tournament’s current edition. The game will be played at Headingley in Leeds on July 27. The Aussies will aim to move to the top spot with a win in this game against the SA Champs.

The South Africa Champions faced their first defeat in the tournament after losing to the Pakistan Champions by 31 runs in the last game. They are currently leading the table with six wins and a win in this game will strengthen their position at the top of the table, getting two more points added to their name.

Form Guide

SA-C: W W W L

South Africa Champions are currently placed at the top of the tournament standings, with three wins and a defeat in the tournament so far. They are coming off a defeat against Pakistan in the last game, except for their brilliant run of form. So, they will aim to win this game and move a step closer to the tournament’s playoff stage.

AUS-C: NR W W

The Australia Champions are also enjoying a winning momentum, with two consecutive wins in their last two games against the West Indies Champions and the India Champions. In the previous game, they defeated the Men in Blue by 4 wickets to stay at the second spot of the points table. A win in this game will propel them to the top spot, with seven points to their credit.

SA-C vs AUS-C Head-to-Head in T20S

South Africa Champions and Australia Champions took on each other in the fifth game of the WCL 2024 last year. In that game, the Aussie Champs won by a massive margin of 104 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the head-to-head clash against the Proteas. So, AB de Villiers’ men will look forward to exacting revenge against the Aussies in the upcoming WCL 2025 game.

Pitch and Weather

The surface at Headingley is known for its batting-friendly nature, especially in the second half of the game when it gets quite flat and easy for stroke-making. However, the bowlers might get some support in the first innings. So, the toss-winning skipper might opt to bowl first to chase the target under batting-friendly conditions.

It will be a dry and sunny afternoon in Leeds, with some cloud cover as the game progresses to the second innings. The minimum temperature will be around 13 degrees Celsius, with the maximum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius.

Team News

Considering their current performances in the tournament so far, both Australia Champions and South Africa Champions might look forward to go ahead with some changes. However, the South Africa Champions are expected to bring the regular skipper AB de Villiers back in the playing XI to replace JJ Smuts in the opening pair.

SA-C Probable XI: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers (C), Henry Davids, Sarel Erwee, JP Duminy, Jacques Rudolph, Morne van Wyk (WK), Aaron Phangiso, Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Hardus Viljoen

AUS-C Probable XI: Chris Lynn, Shaun Marsh, D’Arcy Short, Ben Dunk (WK), Callum Ferguson, Dan Christian, Ben Cutting, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Brett Lee (C), Peter Siddle, Steve O’Keefe

Broadcasting Platforms

WCL 2025’s 12th game between South Africa Champions and Australia Champions will be streamed live on the FanCode app and website. For TV viewers, it will be live on the Star Sports Network.