Hard for South Africa and Australia to not make it: Shane Watson predicts World Test Championship finalists

Shane Watson said that both India and Pakistan have so many match winners. He added that he would be surprised if the teams didn't come knocking on the door of the WTC final.

Former Australia cricketer Shane Watson predicted the ICC World Test Championships finalists while praising the WTC, which is likely to witness a dramatic conclusion.

The 2021-23 cycle has so far seen a level of parity among the nine teams and as the business end is approaching, every match result is impacting the WTC table. Although the final of the current cycle will take place next year, the race for the top two places is heating up.

Currently, South Africa lead the table, followed closely by Australia. But the teams could face some tough series to maintain their hold on to the two top spots as Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan wait to pounce on any slip-up.

"Right now, the way I see it, it’s going to be hard for South Africa and Australia to not make it," Watson said on The ICC Review. "They’re both playing really good cricket. Australia played good cricket apart from that last Test against Sri Lanka where they got swept up in turning conditions in the last innings.

"Even as the front-runners in the competition though, South Africa cannot afford a serious dip in form. Taking on England in a three-match series away from home, three defeats would see them fall all the way down to a share of sixth place with the West Indies, who still harbour aspirations of a final appearance."

Watson added that one cannot rule out the likes of India and Pakistan. Pakistan will have home advantage in all of their remaining five fixtures, while India will host Australia for four of their remaining six WTC matches.

"You can never discount India and Pakistan, because they’ve got so many match winners, outside of their home countries as well. Those two, I’d be very surprised if they didn’t come knocking on the door leading into the final," Watson said.