As South Africa gears up for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia, one of the key questions surrounding the team’s selection is whether Dane Paterson, the county cricket veteran, should be included in the playing XI. Despite a mixed season in County Championship Division 2 with Middlesex, Paterson’s history in South Africa’s home summer and his previous success in English conditions suggest that he could be a valuable asset in the upcoming showdown at Lord’s.
Paterson, 35, has not had the best of seasons in the County Championship Division 2, taking just 11 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 43.72 for Middlesex. His inability to take more than two wickets in an innings has raised questions about his current form and whether he can perform on the big stage against Australia. However, these struggles should not overshadow his achievements in previous years, particularly his success in South Africa’s home summer series.
However, in the 2024/25 home summer, Paterson made a significant impact with two standout performances, taking five-wicket hauls in both of the Tests he played against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to help South Africa’s race to the WTC 2025 final. His ability to step up when required demonstrated his value in high-pressure situations. In the absence of key seamers like Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, it was Paterson who seized the opportunity and delivered for his team, proving that age has not diminished his ability to perform in crucial moments.
Vernon Philander, one of South Africa’s most successful seam bowlers, has backed Paterson to make an impact in the WTC final. Philander believes that Paterson’s medium-pace, seam-and-swing bowling could be a crucial asset on the slopes of Lord’s, where bowlers who can move the ball late often succeed. “Patto is going to be key for me. Lord’s has a slope, so there will be natural variation in the surface, and for a bowler of his kind of pace [around 130kph], batters always feel that they need to play them and they very often get dragged into playing at balls that they don’t have to,” Philander said on ESPNCricinfo.
Although his current season at Middlesex has been underwhelming, Paterson’s earlier years in county cricket were marked by success. Playing for Nottinghamshire between 2021 and 2024, Paterson proved his worth in English conditions, taking 180 wickets across 45 matches at an average of 23.25, including seven five-wicket hauls. In the 2022 season, he finished as the third-highest wicket-taker in Division 2 with 56 wickets.
One of the key factors behind Paterson’s success at Nottinghamshire was a technical change introduced by the club’s assistant coach, Kevin Shine. Shine noticed that Paterson closed himself off before taking his jump, so he lengthened his run-up, allowing Paterson to generate more freedom and space off the deck. This adjustment resulted in Paterson finding more late movement, which proved to be especially effective in English conditions, where the Dukes ball swings, but late movement can catch batters off guard.
Basically, Paterson can do what Vernon Philander did to Australia when the conditions are right. Paterson’s ability to extract late swing and nip the ball is a crucial factor that could make him effective against Australia. While Australia’s top order is used to facing swing bowling, the late movement Paterson can generate is harder to read and play.
His success in county cricket, where batters are familiar with swing but less accustomed to late nip, suggests that he could pose a real threat to Australia’s batsmen, especially if conditions at Lord’s favor such bowling.
Paterson’s experience in English conditions, combined with Philander’s belief in his skills, makes him a strong candidate to complement South Africa’s pace attack. With Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen providing the extra bounce and movement, Paterson could offer a more subtle, but equally valuable, skill set.
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Ultimately, the decision to include Paterson in the playing XI will depend on South Africa’s team balance and how they want to approach the final. Paterson’s experience and ability to perform in challenging conditions are undeniable, but his lack of recent form with Middlesex may be a concern. However, as Philander suggests, his skill set could be exactly what South Africa needs to exploit the conditions at Lord’s and take on Australia’s formidable batting lineup. If selected, Paterson could prove to be the X-factor in South Africa’s quest for their first-ever senior ICC title.
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