GEORGIE PARKER: Labuschagne, Khawaja face axe as Australian selectors weigh changes to Test squad

Australia’s loss to South Africa in the World Test Championship final might be exactly what we needed - both on the pitch and back in the selection room.

The match was a different result than we all expected, but it exposed truths about our selection decisions (or delusions), our understanding of what a win can mean beyond the scoreboard, and the growing divide between sport and the people it’s meant to belong to.

Here are my three takeaways from the final:

1. Are our selectors scared, or do we not have depth?

Once again, our top order was caught out under pressure. Even taking in to account the tougher conditions Australia had with the bat compared to South Africa, if we’re as good as we think we are, we needed to be better.

Australia’s batting looked predictable, flat, and inflexible with no resilience. The same names keep getting picked - why? Out of loyalty, perhaps? Maybe the next in line aren’t up to scratch just yet? Or maybe the selectors are keeping their blinkers on with what the future of this team looks like?

Marnus Labuschagne is hanging on by a thread, Cam Green was underdone and Usman Khwaja, is banging on the door of retirement.

It feels as though they’re trying to put square pegs in round holes in the top order, forcing something to fit that’s not quite right.

We’ve got away with it for some time with either our world best bowling attack or individual performances with the bat, but we can’t keep relying on that with a home Ashes summer looming.

A longer term vision and looking at how a game was played out rather than just the result is needed.

The West Indies tour couldn’t come fast enough.

2. We underestimated what this win means to South Africa

In Australia, a world championship win is big, but expected.

In South Africa, it’s something else entirely. It’s rare but it also has another layer beyond the trophy we don’t quite understand.

This win isn’t just about cricket. It’s about pride. It’s about belonging. It’s about a country still healing from its past, and sport being one of the few things powerful enough to bring people together, even for a moment.

South Africa’s history with sport is complex.

Once used as a symbol of division, sport is now one of the most visible ways for the country to show unity — across race, class, and language.

For millions, seeing that team lift the trophy was deeply emotional. It wasn’t just a game — it was a national moment.

It’s something we often miss when watching from afar. The weight of what a victory like this can do for a country like South Africa is immense.

Temba Bavuma has gone from being called a “quota captain” to captaining his team to a World Championship, against the best team in the world.

“For us as country here’s an opportunity for us… as divided as we are at times, to forget all of that, rejoice in this moment and just be one” his said.

So as flat as I am about Australia losing, a win for South Africa is a victory for something greater than the sport.

3. We’re putting more and more sport behind paywalls - and that’s a problem

Maybe you didn’t even watch the final. And if you didn’t, chances are it’s because it was locked behind Amazon Prime.

This is the national cricket team playing in a world final - and it wasn’t on free-to-air TV.

It’s becoming a pattern. The AFL’s “Super Saturday” is only available on Fox Footy or Kayo. So, if you’re not paying on a Saturday, you’re not watching on a Saturday.

Yes, broadcasting deals fund the game. But sport is supposed to be for everyone. It’s how people connect - across generations, backgrounds, and suburbs. When we move these moments behind paywalls, we chip away at what makes them special.

We’re not just losing casual viewers - we’re losing future fans.

Young kids who might have fallen in love with cricket or footy simply don’t see it anymore. The diehards will always watch, but diehards aren’t the ones that grow the game.