South Africa seized early control of the ICC World Test Championship Final with a fiery display of pace bowling that left Australia reeling at 67 for 4 at lunch on the opening day at Lord’s.
Under heavy overcast skies in north London, Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma had no hesitation in sending Australia in to bat after winning the toss – a decision swiftly vindicated by a relentless opening burst from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen.
Rabada, South Africa’s pace spearhead, set the tone with two superb deliveries that removed both Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green for low scores. Khawaja departed without troubling the scorers, edging behind to David Bedingham in the slips, before Green nicked off for 4, Aiden Markram taking a sharp catch low to his right.
Jansen joined the party soon after, accounting for Marnus Labuschagne for 17 with a beautiful delivery that found the edge and was safely pouched by wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne. The tall left-armer struck again with what proved to be the final ball of the session, Travis Head flicking loosely down the leg side to give Verreynne his second catch and hand South Africa a major psychological blow moments before the break.
Steve Smith remains unbeaten on 26 and will resume after lunch with all-rounder Beau Webster, who is set to make his first appearance in a major Test final after being preferred to Mitchell Marsh in the Australian XI.
The Australians opted to promote Labuschagne to open alongside Khawaja in the absence of David Warner, while South Africa handed the final seamer’s spot to Lungi Ngidi ahead of Dane Paterson.
The high-stakes clash marks the culmination of a riveting World Test Championship cycle. South Africa, buoyed by a remarkable run of seven consecutive Test victories, have earned their place in the final with momentum on their side. Australia, meanwhile, are eyeing history as they seek to become the first side to claim back-to-back WTC titles since the competition’s inception in 2019.
With conditions continuing to favour the bowlers and the Proteas’ quicks in full rhythm, it promises to be a gripping contest at the Home of Cricket.
South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (capt), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood