A star-studded commentary panel will call the third World Test Championship (WTC) final between South Africa and Australia from June 11 at Lord's, with representation from as many as six countries among 11 members. Mel Jones is the only female member in the 11-strong panel. Matthew Hayden and Jones will be representing Australia, while former captains Graeme Smith and Shaun Pollock will be putting South Africa's view forward.
One of the finest behind the mike, Ravi Shastri, headlines the panel, alongside Ian Smith, another iconic name in broadcasting, having called some of the biggest games in the sport in the last few years. England, the host country, will have the most number of representatives in Kevin Pietersen, Nasser Hussain and Stuart Broad, who until Monday was with the Proteas squad as a consultant in the run-up to the big final. From India, Dinesh Karthik will be another name behind the mic while Ian Bishop holds fort from the West Indies.
With the England-India series to follow, representatives from both teams will have keen eyes on the final for more reasons than one and since it's an ICC event, Bishop and Ian Smith will be key for an outsider's perspective, especially with the criticism of the Test championship format not hidden from anyone.
Meanwhile, both Australia and South Africa have already announced their playing XIs for the summit clash, with Marnus Labuschagne set to open the innings for the first time in Test cricket. Cameron Green has been slotted in at No 3, for whom that position also will be alien in Test cricket having batted at No 4 and 6 for Australia and recently in the County Championship at those numbers.
For South Africa too, there will be a new No. Three in Wiaan Mulder as Tristan Stubbs drops down to No 5 while Lungi Ngidi returns to Test cricket after 10 months. History beckons for Temba Bavuma and South Africa as the David takes on Goliath in a Test match week in London.
Commentary panel for WTC Final: Ian Bishop, Stuart Broad, Matthew Hayden, Nasser Hussain, Mel Jones, Dinesh Karthik, Kevin Pietersen, Shaun Pollock, Ravi Shastri, Graeme Smith, Ian Smith