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Temba Bavuma has led South Africa to ultimate glory as the Proteas defeat the mighty Aussies by five wickets to win the World Test Championship. It was Aiden Markram who was the star performer as he made a strong comeback with a century in the fourth innings after being dismissed for a duck in the second innings. The right-handed batter strung together a crucial stand with his skipper for the third wicket.
Their partnership of 147 runs while Bavuma was battling a hamstring injury had almost sealed the win. While Bavuma was dismissed after scoring 66, Markram continued to bat, and when he was out, the Rainbow Nation only needed six runs to win their first ICC trophy after 27 years.
David Bedingham, who had let go of any dreams of having a future in international cricket with South Africa, was at the crease when Kyle Verreynne hit the winning runs.
It was a painful opening session for South Africa on the third day of the World Test Championship Final. They broke the overnight opening stand inside three overs courtesy of Kagiso Rabada pinning Nathan Lyon in front of the stumps. However, they could not get the last remaining wicket in time.
Mitchell Starc was batting on a score of 14 when Marco Jansen dropped him in the last over of the second day. The left-arm pacer made sure that he made South Africa pay for their costly mistake. A streaky four on the first ball of the 45th over earned the left-hander his first boundary of the day. He continued to ride his luck and played some shots in between a few plays and misses.
Temba Bavuma looked a bit defensive with his captaincy as he placed multiple fielders on the boundary when the two Australian pacers were batting. What Starc did in the partnership to make it this successful was that he shielded Josh Hazlewood for the better part of the stand. Starc completed his half-century while attempting to play a cut shot that went over the heads of the slip fielders. The two batters put together a 59-run stand before Hazlewood was dismissed on what was the last ball before the lunch break.
Will it rain at Lord’s on day three is the biggest question for the two teams contesting in the WTC Final. While the first two days saw no rain interruptions, it could be a stop-and-start type of day today. The weather report for the morning session shows that it could be partly sunny with 35% of cloud cover. However, as the game progresses, the cloud cover will exceed 90%. South Africa, looking at the report, would want to bat as soon as possible and make use of the sunny conditions in the first session. Batting will only get tougher as the day progresses. If they manage to make it out of day 3 without losing many wickets then they will have a great chance of batting with weather predictions saying that day 4 and 5 will not have any rain interruptions.
Like the opening day of the WTC Final, the second day saw a lot of action, particularly from the bowlers. The fast bowlers once again had a great outing at Lord’s with 14 wickets falling. The overnight pair of Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham started the first session positively. They did not lose a single wicket in the first hour, and it seemed that batting had gotten easier. However, Pat Cummins broke the stand thanks to an incredible catch from Marnus Labuschagne after the first drinks break.
Pat Cummins channelled his best after the lunch break. With South Africa only 86 runs adrift of Australia’s first innings total, the right-arm pacer provided a crucial breakthrough, dismissing Kyle Verreynne. Three balls later, Cummins dismissed Marco Jansen. The Aussie skipper managed to get Bedingham to edge one back to the keeper. Kehav Maharaj was run out before the Aussie skipper picked up his sixth wicket to get his name etched on the Lord’s honours board. He recorded the best bowling figures for a captain at Lord’s.
In the context of the game where run-scoring was so hard, Australia did well to gather a 74-run lead thanks to Cummins’ bowling efforts. It was now up to the batters to extend the lead as far as possible. Once again, it was Kagiso Rabada who broke the opening stand as he dismissed Usman Khawaja for the second time in the game. Like he did in the first innings, the right-arm pacer managed to dismiss Cameron Green in the same over this time around for a silver duck.
Wickets continued to tumble as Marco Jansen dismissed Marnus Labuschagne after the right-handed batter had gotten off to a start. Lungi Ngidi got his first wicket of the match, and it made the Lord’s erupt as he pinned Steve Smith in front of the stumps. Ngidi got the better of Beau Webster, the top scorer from the first innings. Wiaan Mulder picked up his first wicket of the game, dismissing Travis Head. Ngidi picked up his third and dismissed Cummins. Australia were reeling at 73 for 7 with the lead being only 147 runs.
Just when South Africa would have thought that they would bowl out the defending champions, Alex Carey played a counter-attacking knock. The wicketkeeper batter scored 43 runs off 50 balls, hitting five fours, before Rabada trapped him in front of the stumps. Mitchell Starc played a dogged knock, scoring 16 runs off 47 deliveries. In the last over, Starc was dropped by Marco Jansen at gully. It could be an expensive drop for South Africa if Australia goes on to bat for a long period in the morning session of day three.
The Proteas, chasing their first ICC title after 27 years, will need to make the highest total of the game to win the all-important WTC Final.
Unlike yesterday, at the start of play, the sun came out and graced the Lord’s Stadium. The South African batters, who appeared to be all at sea against the moving ball at the end of the play yesterday, dominated the opening hour of play. They scored 44 runs in the first 13 overs with Temba Bavuma taking the aggressive route. The South African skipper was given out on LBW while batting on 17. However, a review after a long discussion with his batting partner saved Bavuma. There was a spike via an inside edge.
After being made to work hard in their opening spell, Pat Cummins struck early in the second hour against the run of play to get the better of his opposite number. Marnus Labuschagne, fielding at cover, grabbed a stunner to send Bavuma back to the pavilion for a score of 36. The rate of scoring, which had picked up early in the session, dipped a bit the moment Nathan Lyon got the ball in his hand. The veteran off-spinner got some turn from the rough created outside the right-handed batters. The fast bowlers rotated around Lyon before the off-spinner was replaced by Beau Webster. The all-rounder who is known for bowling both spinners and medium pace opted to bowl the latter. He induced an outside in his first over itself, but it fell short of the slips. After the first hour of play, only 13 runs were scored in the next 10 overs thanks to some disciplined bowling from the Australians.
Both Kyle Verreynne and David Bedingham have managed to settle into their innings. With Australia still leading by 91 runs, South Africa would want these two batters to bat as long as possible. Both of them are the last recognised pair of batters for the Proteas; the next batter in the lineup is Marco Jansen. Like he did yesterday, Bedingham ended the first session with a boundary off the last ball.
South Africa was left rattled in the last hour and a half with the bat in hand on Day 1. With the Proteas still being 169 runs adrift of their counterparts, they would hope that the conditions for batting are much better than they were yesterday. However, weather reports suggest that it could be a cloudy day in North London. While there were no interruptions by rain on the first day, the second day could be a different story altogether. There is a high chance of rain in the afternoon.
14 Wickets. 255 Runs. WHAT A DAY OF TEST CRICKET!
The first day of the World Test Championship Final saw a lot of action from the two teams. After winning the toss, Temba Bavuma decided to bowl first on a cloudy day at the home of cricket. Thanks to Kagiso Rabada, the decision bore fruit early with the senior pacer picking up a couple of wickets in his opening spell.
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne put on an annoying stand for the third wicket before Marco Jansen got rid of the latter in his second spell. The tall left-arm pacer bowled an extended spell at the fag end of the first session and got the reward in the form of Travis Head’s wicket on the last ball before lunch break.
After being reduced to 67 for 4 at lunch, Australia bounced back strongly after the 40-minute break. With the ball getting softer in the second session, Smith and Beau Webster made full use of the batter-friendly conditions. There was a chance to send Webster back to the dressing room in the 29th over, but South Africa decided against taking the review. It was a mistake that ultimately proved costly.
Smith continued his fine form at Lord’s and brought up a hardly-fought half-century in the 33rd over. Among the South Africans, their shoulders started to drop. Lungi Ngidi was the culprit; he was undoing all the hard work done by the other three fast bowlers. The first hour of play was dominated by the defending champions after lunch, with the two batters adding 56 runs. Aiden Markram provided the breakthrough in his first over, dismissing Smith. Webster, after an early reprieve, reached his fifty as Australia raked up 123 runs in the second session for the loss of a single wicket.
Kagiso Rabada breathed fire after the tea break. South Africa bowled out the remaining five batters in 40 balls after the tea break. Keshav Maharaj started the assault as he clean bowled Alex Carey, who was attempting a reverse sweep. Rabada picked up a wicket each in his next three overs. The right-arm pacer completed his five-wicket haul and added Webster, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc to his tally of wickets. Australia was bowled out for 212 after being 190 for five at the stroke of tea.
Mitchell Starc started his opening spell similarly to how Kagiso Rabada did at the start of the day. The left-arm pacer dismissed Aiden Markram for a duck in the first over of the innings. He dismissed Ryan Rickelton in the ninth over to send both the openers back to the dressing room.
Wiaan Mulder, batting at number three, was joined by his skipper, Temba Bavuma. The two batters survived multiple plays and misses throughout their stay at the crease. The two batters were circumspect with their approach and managed to put together only six runs in their 40-ball stand before Mulder was dismissed by Cummins. Josh Hazlewood got himself among the wickets as he knocked over Tristan Stubbs in his second spell. David Bedingham scored a couple of boundaries to end the day’s play.
Lunch has been taken after a riveting first session of the opening day of the WTC Final. After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, South Africa started on a great note. It was Kagiso Rabada who put the Proteas on top of the defending champions with his opening spell.
The senior South African pacer picked up a couple of wickets. He sent Usman Khawaja back to the dressing room for a 20-ball duck to break the opening stand. Cameron Green, batting at number three, got off to the mark with a four off his first ball. But Rabada bounced back a couple of balls later to pick up his second wicket in the seventh over.
The two quick wickets from Rabada brought Steve Smith to the crease, and he joined Marnus Labuschagne. The two right-handed batters steadied the ship slightly and put up an annoying stand. There were a few deliveries that challenged the two batters, but they managed to see off the opening spells of the four bowlers. Smith and Labuschagne batted for 11 overs before Marco Jansen, returning for his second spell, got the better of the latter in his first over.
Heading into the lunch break, Travis Head and Smith have managed to build a partnership. The left-handed batter has continued to bat in his usual aggressive style. There was a scary moment late in the session with South Africa reviewing an LBW call against Smith in the 22nd over. It turned out to be Umpire’s Call on hitting, which meant that the Aussie batter survived. On the very next over, there was another close play and a miss that went past Smith’s outside edge.
Australia’s luck ran out in the last over of the session. It was once again Marco Jansen, who picked up his second wicket to send Head back to the dressing room on the final ball of the first session.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Lord’s Stadium in the WTC Final. As it is often said, Temba Bavuma looked at the overhead conditions to make his decision to bowl first. There is some cloud cover, which could assist the new ball bowlers, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada. Marnus Labuschagne, who is opening the innings for the first time in his test career, will be straight at the firing line. Pat Cummins talked about how the team is feeling no pressure having won the previous edition.
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (C), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (C), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
The pitch and weather at the iconic Lord’s Stadium will have a huge impact on the WTC Final across five days. Located at the heart of London, the Lord’s is one of the most unique stadiums in the world. What makes it different from other stadiums is a slope that runs across the ground. Fast bowlers who are accurate with their lines and lengths can prove to be dangerous on the surface. Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Kagiso Rabada could make the best use of the slope.
According to multiple weather reports, Day 1 could have little to almost no interruptions due to rain. However, there are predictions of some showers on Day 2 and Day 3. Moreover, there is a sixth day as a reserve in case overs are lost due to rain. The sunny conditions on the opening day might persuade the toss-winning captain to opt to bat first.
South Africa and Australia will battle it out for five days of riveting action for the WTC glory. The players from across the two sides will have a huge role to play in which way the result sways. While most of the players have more or less sealed their spots in the playing XI, a few spots are up for debate in both teams.
Australia still needs to take a call on who will open the innings with Usman Khawaja. The frontrunners for the spot are Marnus Labuschagne and Sam Konstas. While the former has more than enough experience of playing in England, Konstas has shone brightly in the limited opportunities presented to him.
For South Africa, the spot for number three will be up for grabs. Tony de Zorzi seems to be in the running for the spot. However, Wiaan Mulder was tried at number three in the last game the Proteas played. Having Mulder at three will add more bowling depth to the side and allow the Temba Bavuma-led side to pick an extra batter at number seven. Mulder will find a place at seven if de Zorzi pips him at three.
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tony de Zorzi/Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (C), Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreyne (wk), Corbin Bosch/Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj
Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne/Sam Konstas, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (C), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
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