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James Anderson (Source: Sameer Ali/Getty Images)

The legendary England pacer has revealed his combined playing XI for the (WTC) Final 2025, set to take place from June 11 to 15 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London. The Ultimate Test clash will see South Africa face off against Australia.

In his lineup, Anderson opted for the Australian duo of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne as the opening pair. Interestingly, he slotted South Africa’s Aiden Markram at No. 3, preferring him over Australian all-rounder Cameron Green.

The middle order comprises seasoned Australian batters Steve Smith and Travis Head, along with wicketkeeper Alex Carey. South African batters Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne were left out. For the all-rounder spot, Anderson backed South Africa’s Wiaan Mulder ahead of Australia's Beau Webster.

In the bowling department, Anderson made a bold decision by excluding Mitchell Starc and including South Africa’s pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada. He retained the experienced Australian trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, while Proteas bowlers Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, and Dane Paterson missed out.

Notably, only three South African players made it to Anderson’s XI, with the England veteran admitting that his team was heavily dominated by Australians.

"It's a lot of Aussies in there. I don't like it at all," said Anderson to Cricket District on Instagram.

South Africa are on the brink of ending their long-standing ICC title drought, having not claimed a global trophy since the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy. They finished sixth in the inaugural WTC cycle and narrowly missed out in the second. They topped the 2023-25 WTC points table, losing only three Tests. On the other hand, Australia are aiming to defend their WTC title, having won the previous edition. The win would make them the first-ever two-time WTC champions.

Rabada vs Smith will define the game: Anderson

Anderson mentioned the duel between and Steve Smith could be the key for the game. He described Rabada as one of his favourite bowlers to watch and praised Smith as one of the finest batters in the world. Anderson expressed his excitement for the contest between the two, suggesting that the battle could be decisive in determining the fate of the game.

"The main one for me will be Rabada against Steve Smith and I think that could be a really good, interesting battle. Steve Smith is one of the best batters in the world and Kagiso Rabada is one of my favourite bowlers to watch. I think he's got so many attributes that just make me want to tune into the TV and watch him. He's a fantastic player, so I'm really looking forward to that battle," Anderson said to ICC.

James Anderson combined playing XI:

Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Aiden Markram, Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Wiaan Mulder, Pat Cummins, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

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