The statistics were telling – the batting team lost wickets at regular intervals in the first 10-15 overs of the historic Test at Lord’s in England. After that, the batters were supposed to gradually adapt, but the ongoing World Test Championship final saw a disruption. 28 wickets fell in two days of the title-deciding match between Australia and South Africa. As a result, the Test champion could be decided on the third day.
Both teams lost 14 wickets each in the two days of the final. As a result, they will enter the third day’s play today (Friday) with the remaining 12 wickets. At the end of the second day’s play, Australia’s total in the second innings was 144 for 8. Although this capital seems small, only those who watched the first innings will understand its intensity. Against the 212 runs scored by the Ajits in the first innings, the Proteas were bundled out for 138 runs. As a result, the current lead of Pat Cummins’ team stands at 218.
The statistics from Lord’s give Australia the confidence that this capital can be enough to win. So far, there has been only four instances of a target of more than 200 runs being crossed at this elite venue. The cricket world has seen that scene only once since 2005. If South Africa succeeds in chasing Australia’s target, it will be the highest team total in this match. Only 9 times in England, the team batting in the fourth innings gets the highest capital on the scoreboard of the match. Only 3 teams have won (most recently 2019, Headingley).
The way Temba Bavuma’s Africa were devastated in their innings, it seemed that defending champions Australia would easily win their second consecutive title. Especially since they had a 74-run lead on the scoreboard. However, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi gave the Aussies an equal challenge in the second innings. Although it would not be wrong to say that Australia also got the capital to fight with the 74 runs!
Australia came out to bat in the second innings and were under the onslaught of the Proteas pacers from the start. Rabada dismissed Usman Khawaja (6) and Cameron Green (0) in the 11th over. Janssen-Mulder and Ngidi provided worthy company to the pacer who had stormed in the first innings. No one in the top order of the Aussies could score any runs. Only Marnus Labuschagne (22) and Steven Smith (13) managed to reach double figures. Apart from that, Travis Head (9) and Beau Webster (9) also showed their usual failure.
Australia’s defence was saved in a crucial moment by an effective partnership. Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc (61) did just that. Carey departed with a regretful fifty, but by then the team’s lead had crossed 200. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored 43 runs off 50 balls with 5 fours. Starc was unbeaten on 16 runs at the end of the day. Rabada and Ngidi took the highest wickets for the Proteas, 3 each. Jansen-Mulder took one wicket each.
