New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) Ahead of facing Australia in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final, former South Africa batter AB de Villiers has urged the Proteas batters to respect all bowlers, regardless of the over in any phase of the play at the iconic Lord’s.

South Africa will mark their first-ever appearance in a World Test Championship final when they face-off against Australia in the one-off clash from June 11-15. South Africa have played 18 Tests at Lord’s, but it doesn’t make for a great reading – six wins, eight defeats and four draws.

“Lord’s is a tricky ground to play at. You’ve got the ball moving around more than most grounds in the world for a longer period of time. You’re never in, and that’s probably my best advice to the batters, to sort of respect the bowlers, whether it’s the first over or the 67th over. You’re never in, so just respect the game.”

“Lord’s, you generally want to be a bit fuller as a seam bowler and try and get the best out of the conditions. There’s always a bit of seam movement for the seam bowlers. So I would probably urge my bowlers to bowl full and straight for as long as possible,” said de Villiers on Star Sports.

The Temba Bavuma-led side finished at the top of the 2023-25 WTC standings with seven straight victories over West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, giving them a 69.44 points percentage.

The historic Lord’s will also become the third England venue to host the WTC finals after Rose Bowl in Southampton (2021) and The Oval in London (2023). There is also a reserve day in place – June 16 – and that can be used to make up for any lost playing time during the regular five days.

–IANS

nr/