Lord’s Cricket Ground is silent today but that is the calm before the storm of red ball cricket’s World Cup final. Australia will take on South Africa in the showpiece final in North West London. The five day match will start on June 11.

Lord’s has hosted Test matches since 1884 and has witnessed a litany of iconic moments and the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 will join a famous list of cricket matches to take place there.

Among the historic moments were Don Bradman’s famous 254 during the 1930 Ashes and Graham Gooch’s 333 for England against India in 1990, which is still the highest individual Test score at the ground.

Lord’s has only hosted the one day final before and has done so five times, most recently the remarkable 2019 final between England and New Zealand. It has also twice been the venue for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Final, including the 2017 edition that saw England beat India in a thrilling final.

Stars from South Africa and Australia will hope to join some of the game’s finest players on the famous honours boards at Lord’s, that sit in the pavilion to commemorate centurions and bowlers who have taken five wickets in an innings or 10 in a match.

It is one of the many traditions at the famous ground, that also includes the notorious walk batters must make through the Long Room when called to the crease.

The Long Room is also host to a number of portraits commemorating the great and the good of both English and international cricket such as W.G. Grace, Charlotte Edwards, Sir Ian Botham and Shane Warne.

Cricket is not the only sport Lord’s has hosted, with real tennis and rackets still played on the same site while baseball, hockey and lacrosse have all previously taken place. It also memorably hosted archery at the London 2012 Olympics.

Of course, cricket is now set to to rejoin the Olympics in Los Angeles with the games being played at Pomona, California.

Australia are most people’s favourites and will be looking to defend their World Test title which they won in 2023 after beating India by 209 runs at The Oval, with Nathan Lyon taking the match-winning wicket of Mohammed Siraj.

The Aussies last played Test cricket in England during the 2023 Ashes series – the opening contest of the 2023-25 WTC cycle – but many from the squad have since taken the opportunity to return to play county cricket in English conditions.

Lyon played for Lancashire in 2024, while Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Beau Webster have represented Glamorgan, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, respectively, this season.

Green’s stint in England has been particularly impressive, with the all-rounder plundering 467 runs in just five County Championship Division 2 matches at an average of 66.71 although none have actually played Middlesex at Lords this year in first class cricket.

Green has also scored three hundreds, including match-winning knocks of 128 and 67 not out against Kent in mid-May.

The South African side are known as the Proteas and will be captained by Temba Bavuma but none of them has had a closer view of Lord’s in the build-up to the ICC World Test Championship final than Dane Paterson, who has started the season with Middlesex in England’s County Championship.

Appearances have been sporadic over his eight-year international career, but the 36-year-old impressed in last year’s Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, taking five for 61 – his best figures in the format.

His first hand knowledge of the pitch and conditions at the home of cricket may be a factor.

Australia last faced South Africa in a Test series in 2022-23, with the Aussie hosts winning the series 2-0.

The latest instalment however has silverware on the line and Labuschagne is determined to leave London with his hands on it.

“South Africa have been a very good team in this cycle, on paper it’s a well-balanced side and they have some really nice players,” he said.

“It will be a good challenge for us, and we are going to have to be on our game.

“Playing at Lord’s is always special with the history and what is involved with playing there. It’s going to be an awesome week and another great match.”

Coverage in the USA is on Willow TV.