WTC Final: Steve Smith vs Kagiso Rabada takes centre stage; who is favourite to prevail at Lord’s?

As Australia and South Africa gear up for the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord's, cricket fans are eagerly anticipating the battle between Australian batting star Steve Smith and South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada.

Australia aims to defend their WTC mace from 2023, while South Africa seeks their first world cricket title.The head-to-head statistics between Smith and Rabada reveal an intriguing contest. In 15 innings, Smith has scored 128 runs off Rabada's bowling, facing 262 balls. Rabada has dismissed Smith four times, with Smith maintaining an average of 48.85 and a strike rate of 32.00 against him. Smith has hit 16 fours and two sixes while playing 207 dot balls against Rabada.

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Both players have impressive records at Lord's Cricket Ground. Rabada boasts the best average of 19.38 among all bowlers in the final, surpassing Australian pacers Pat Cummins (21.10), Josh Hazlewood (26.15), and Mitchell Starc (33.62). In his two Tests at the venue, Rabada has claimed 13 wickets with best figures of 5/52.Smith has demonstrated exceptional performance at Lord's, accumulating 525 runs in five Tests across nine innings at an average of 58.33.

His record includes two centuries and two fifties, with his most recent innings being a knock of 110 against England in the 2023 Ashes.

Smith enters the final in tremendous form, having recently completed 10,000 runs and scored four centuries in his last five Tests against India and Sri Lanka. His record in ICC knockout matches is particularly notable, with 584 runs in 12 matches at an average of 58.40, including two centuries and four fifties.Rabada stands on the verge of significant milestones in Test cricket. With 327 Test wickets at an average of 22.00, including 16 five-wicket hauls, he needs just four more wickets to surpass Allan Donald's record of 330 wickets and become South Africa's fourth-highest wicket-taker in Tests.Quiz: Who's that IPL player?Dale Steyn holds the record for most Test wickets for South Africa with 439 wickets in 93 Tests, maintaining an average of 22.95 and claiming 26 five-wicket hauls.In international cricket across all formats, Rabada currently has 566 wickets in 241 appearances, with an average of 24.27 and 18 five-wicket hauls. He needs seven more wickets to overtake Jacques Kallis, who holds the fifth position with 572 wickets.Shaun Pollock leads South Africa's all-time international wicket-takers list with 823 wickets in 414 matches, achieved at an average of 23.63 with 21 five-wicket hauls.Rabada's performance in ICC knockout events includes six wickets in four matches, maintaining an average of 26.83 with best figures of 2/14 and an economy rate of 7.00.The upcoming WTC final presents an opportunity for both players to enhance their already impressive records and potentially play decisive roles in their teams' pursuit of the championship title.