South Africa need 69 runs more to win their maiden ICC title in 27 years. Against Australia in the World Test Championship finale, the Temba Bavuma-led side was on the backfoot after being bundled for 138 runs in the first innings, but the Proteas showed tremendous grit and dedication to turn the tide as they are on the brink of creating history at the iconic Lord’s.
The bowlers deserve massive credit for bringing back the momentum as Australia were reduced to 73/3 at one stage in the second innings. The duo of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi was relentless and ruthless in their approach and that put the Pat Cummins-led side in trouble. Towards the end, Mitchell Starc played a vital knock, scoring a half-century, which helped Australia post 207 runs in the second innings.
However, given the nature of the surface, Australian batters should have been more careful in their approach as the pitch completely changed on Day 3. It was more suitable for the batters but unfortunately for Australia, all their batters were back in the pavilion by then. The Proteas bowlers struggled early on, but they eventually managed to wrap up Australia and set themselves a target of 282 runs.
Bavuma and Markram masterclass
In the fourth innings, the Bavuma-led side needed a steady start but Ryan Rickelton departed early, putting them under pressure. Wiaan Mulder too followed suit, scoring 27 runs as Australian bowlers were dominating at one stage. However, Bavuma and Aiden Markram managed to stabilise the situation and build a partnership of 143 runs to end the day.
Notably, Markram notched a century and became the first South Africa cricketer to score a ton in an ICC final. Bavuma, on the other hand, was struggling with a hamstring injury but regardless, he kept going and completed his half-century in style. They have almost brought South Africa close the victory and will be hoping to get the job done on Day 4.
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