With the World Test Championship (WTC) final fast approaching, Independent Media has engaged with many former Proteas players — and their message to the current South Africa Test team has been unanimous.
From Fanie de Villiers and Alviro Petersen to Andrew Hudson, it has been made quite clear that facing Australia, especially in a final, is an unimaginably tough challenge — one that captain Temba Bavuma and his team will face next month at Lord’s.
To gain even greater insight into what it’s like to take on the Australians, Independent Media spoke with former Proteas assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa, who worked alongside then-head coach Ottis Gibson during the infamous 2018 ‘Sandpaper Gate’ Test series. Maketa also served as interim head coach in 2022, the last time the Proteas played a Test series against Australia — one which marked South Africa’s first series defeat in Australia in over a decade.
The final leg to Lord’s has begun! 🏟️
From grit to glory, it’s all been leading to this final test of character.
Let’s bring home the Mace! 🏆🏏🇿🇦#WTC25 #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #ProteasWTCFinal pic.twitter.com/JOZqhBrPGe
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) May 7, 2025
Now 44 and coaching the South Africa Emerging side in Bangladesh, Maketa admitted that Bavuma will experience a very different kind of pressure, as he captains the Proteas in Tests against Australia for the first time. Nonetheless, he believes Bavuma is well prepared.
“I think it’s going to be a totally different pressure now in terms of Temba. They always target the captain — they always look at the opposition’s best batter, and they make it clear that they’re coming for him,” Maketa said.
“Nine times out of 10, they’ll say, ‘we’ve picked up something in his technique’. They just try to plant a seed in your mind to distract you from focusing on playing and watching the ball. Closer to the time, I’m sure they’ll start doing that to Temba.
“But Temba’s been around for a long time. Technically, he’s one of our best players. The real test will be mental — whether he’s ready for everything the Aussies will throw at him.
“They’ll definitely set some funky fields just to get him thinking, ‘what are they trying to do?’ But we know they’re going to hit the top of off-stump. That’s the kind of bowling attack they are—disciplined, relentless, and able to maintain their pace through the whole Test. I think Temba is ready to handle this now.”
With the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Dane Paterson, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch, Wiaan Mulder, and Keshav Maharaj, the Proteas’ bowling stocks in the expected conditions at Lord’s look as strong as the Pat Cummins-led Australian attack.
However, while the South African batting unit has produced centuries throughout this WTC cycle, they are yet to be tested by a world-class attack like Australia’s. Maketa believes the batters will have to lay the foundations if South Africa are to have a real shot at lifting the trophy.
“It’s going to be important that we bat well,” he said. “If you look at our batting, they’ve not really faced this quality of bowling. That first partnership will be vital in settling the nerves and getting us into the game.
“As much as it’s a younger group of players, sometimes that helps — not having the mental scars from past defeats. I’m sure Shukri (Conrad) will come up with his plans to ensure the team is ready. But this is a Test Championship final.
“The wicket at Lord’s is usually flatter than in South Africa or Australia, as they want the game to last five days. So we must control our lengths when bowling.
“KG and Marco have been really good for us, and we can rely on Kesh to tie down one end. The rest of the bowlers will have to rotate from the other end. I’m looking forward to seeing our attack against them.
“But most importantly, we must bat well in that first innings. That’s what’s going to set up the game,” he concluded.
