Pacers Unlikely To Give Clear Advantage To South Africa In WTC Final Against Australia: Jonty Rhodes

As South Africa prepares for its World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's, legendary cricketer Jonty Rhodes says the Proteas' pace battery is unlikely to give a big advantage to the side as Pat Cummins' team too is equally adept at handling the quick bowlers. The one-off Test will be played from June 11 to 15, with June 16 available as a reserve day if required. "Well, I don't think so. There is no advantage to South Africa. The Australians are adept at playing pace bowling. They have a battery of fast bowling whom South African batters will be facing at Lord's.

"So, I wouldn't say that we have an advantage. Australians have grown up facing pace and know all about it, but it certainly is going to be a great contest," the South African, known for his breathtaking fielding, told PTI Videos on Saturday.

South Africa's run to the WTC final has been driven by their dominant performances, especially at home. In those matches, their potent pace attack, featuring Kagiso Rabada (37 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19.8) and Marco Jansen (29 wickets in 7 matches), has proved to be a game changer.

Beyond the immediate focus on the WTC final, Rhodes believes that South African cricket appears to be on the cusp of a resurgence.

"You know, success breeds success. For a long time, South Africa was in the middle of the ICC rankings and it kind of showed. Rugby has a cult fan following in South Africa because we have had consecutive World Championships winning teams.

"I as a player and cricket coach in India have seen that the success of the men's team and the women's team has driven the popularity of the game and support for the players and the team," said Rhodes, who is also the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) fielding