By Leonard Ratnayake, reporting from England
South Africa and Australia were greeted with heavy cloud cover on Days 1 and 2 of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 at Lord’s—conditions that overwhelmingly favored the bowlers. It was a far cry from the typically batter-friendly surface the venue is known for.
But Day 3 brought a dramatic change. The weather cleared, the sun appeared, and Lord’s returned to its reputation as a batting paradise. The red cherry did little for the bowlers, offering neither seam nor swing.
Australia began Day 3 at a precarious 148 for 8, holding a slender lead of 222 runs. However, the final pair—Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood—staged a gritty 59-run partnership for the 10th wicket. It not only frustrated the South African bowlers but also gave Australia hope, setting a total of 207 in their second innings and leaving South Africa a target of 283.
Yet, from the first over of the Proteas’ chase, it was clear that the pitch had flattened out completely. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen had struggled earlier in the morning, and now the Australians were beginning to see just how much conditions had shifted.
Although Australia possess arguably the world’s most lethal pace attack—and showed it by bundling South Africa out for just 138 in the first innings, with Pat Cummins taking a brilliant 6 for 28—they faced a tougher test in the final innings.
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Mitchell Starc, fresh off his valuable 58 with the bat, made an early breakthrough, dismissing Ryan Rickelton for 6 with the score at just 9. But Aiden Markram and Wiann Mulder responded with attacking intent, racing the score to 70 before Mulder fell for 27—again to Starc.
Captain Temba Bavuma, clearly nursing a hamstring injury, looked tentative at first, but his body language spoke volumes: this time, South Africa would not choke.
What followed was a masterclass in composure and stroke play. Together, Markram and Bavuma constructed a record-breaking partnership, eclipsing South Africa’s previous highest against England at Lord’s, set way back in 1947. They rotated the strike beautifully and dispatched loose deliveries with elegance, making scoring look effortless on a docile pitch.
For Markram, the century was redemption—having fallen for a golden duck in the first innings, he returned to notch a fluent hundred, his timing as crisp as ever. Bavuma, playing through pain, remained unbeaten on 65, a symbol of South Africa’s resilience.
At stumps on Day 3, South Africa stand at 213 for 2, needing just 69 more runs to win the WTC Final and bury, once and for all, their “chokers” tag.
The unbroken 143-run stand between Markram and Bavuma may well be remembered as one of the greatest in Lord’s history.
Despite Australia’s valiant efforts and commanding position at one stage, this has been a remarkable comeback by South Africa—turning a 74-run first-innings deficit into a likely historic triumph.
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