Kagiso Rabada says Proteas 'know how to beat' Australia at Lord's

Kagiso Rabada has helped bowl South Africa to a seventh-straight Test victory, before turning his sights to Australia and the World Test Championship final.

The fast bowler took a six-wicket haul in his side's 10-wicket second-Test demolition of Pakistan.

The result demonstrated how the side was knitting together beautifully and that Rabada would be key to the Proteas' hopes of lifting the World Test Championship crown at Lord's in June's final.

Australia booked its spot in the final by reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy with a fifth-Test win against India at the SCG.

Rabada knows the South Africans will be underdogs against the reigning champions, but, having twice played a big part in winning series against Australia in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the paceman is confident they can pull off a shock at the home of cricket.

"It's actually quite some distance away, but a big occasion like the World Test Championship final gets you up for it," Rabada said on SuperSport after the Test.

The defining triumph of the Cummins era comes after one of the greatest Test series Photo shows The Australian squad poses for a photo in the SCG change room with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Ashes trophy and WTC trophy A glorious Test series ends with a famous Australian victory, a new Tasmania hero born and a summer-long triumph that stands as the most significant for Pat Cummins's champion team.

"South Africa versus Australia has always been an intense rivalry, because we play cricket quite similar. We play hard — and they're going to come hard at us, and we know that.

"But we also know how to beat them.

"One hundred per cent, Test cricket is still alive. It's our best format that we've been playing right now.

"When you look at South African cricket and all our legends, they've all been great Test cricketers. The world's best players are Test cricketers, and this series against Pakistan has been a wonderful advertisement for Test cricket, especially in South Africa."

While Australia will build up to the final with a two-Test series in Sri Lanka at the end of this month and February, South Africa does not have any five-day matches scheduled before the final, but will look to find opponents in the build-up.

"We're going to try and get a Test match, possibly in the UK, against an Ireland or Afghanistan, whoever is free. And if unsuccessful, we'll obviously go out a couple of days earlier, and make sure we camp there really well, probably in Canterbury," said coach Shukri Conrad.

Captain Temba Bavuma's hot run of form has been central to South Africa's resurgence as a Test side of late. (Getty Images: Christian Kotze)

He was adamant the Lord's selection for the Proteas would be difficult, with potentially an enviable array of quick bowling options to choose from, such as Rabada, teenager Kwena Maphaka, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee, Nandre Burger, Wiaan Mulder, Lizaad Williams and Anrich Nortje.

But perhaps the key to South Africa's resurgence is the inspirational form of captain Temba Bavuma.

"He's played unbelievably well this summer, and full marks to him," Conrad said.

"I think any captain who wants to lead from the front, they want to lead through performance as well, and that's what Temba's done exceptionally well.

"He's not lost a game as captain of South Africa [winning eight out of nine Tests]. Leading from the front, turning out the performances he's had, he's probably in the form of his life.

"I haven't seen him play any better, and that obviously gives you a lot of confidence when you're captaining as well. I wouldn't want anyone else to be captaining us."

AAP

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