Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: The Aussies are up for their second ICC World Test Championship final after they won the trophy back in the 2023 WTC Final and are looking to defend their title. South Africa, on the other hand, has made it to the WTC Final for the first time and is seeking their first title.
Pat Cummins and Temba Bavuma went on to the field for the coin toss, as the coin fell in favour of the South African skipper. Opting to field first, Bavuma and co. took to the field with Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen both looking to share the new ball in front of the Australian top order; that is a new combination with the inclusion of Cameron Green.
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Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Day 1 Highlights
Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Australian top-order collapses terribly before lunch
The Aussie top order is a new-looking order with Marnus Labuschagne promoted up the order to open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja. Khawaja has played 80 internationals in the longest format of the game, as he is nearing the 6000-run mark in the red-ball format. However, the batter who struggled early on in the innings was dismissed for a duck after having played for 20 innings.
On the other hand, Cameron Green, who stepped back on the international cricket field after a gap of almost a year, got out early, dismissed just for 4 runs, having played 3 balls. Kagiso Rabada brought South Africa early into the game with a double-wicket over.
Just when everything started to look settled between Labuschagne and Smith, Marco Jansen, who returned with his second spell of the match alongside building pressure from Wiaan Mulder on the other end, Labuschagne’s wicket fell, followed by Travis Head’s dismissal to Jansen. Australia were left 4 wickets down before the score of 50 at lunch.
Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Smith-Webster takes guard of the second session
Steve Smith, the miraculous batter at Lord’s, has had the best of form at this venue, as he is one of the most successful batters at this venue, even keeping the English batters under consideration. Smith’s record at Lord’s has been better than any batter at this venue, and he is always considered the key to Australia’s middle-order problems.
Smith went on to score his 7th fifty-plus score in the ICC knockouts, as the batter rammed a well-made 66 under the tough conditions of play. While Beau Webster, the debutant in the WTC final, also went on to give great support to the veteran batter, putting on a 75-run partnership between the two for the 5th wicket. However, Smith fell to an unexpected ball from Aiden Markram, which turned the game for the Aussies.
Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Australia all-out post-tea, and Rabada surpasses Allan Donald
Australia has been dismissed, as Alex Carey could not get past the threat from Keshav Maharaj, and the lower order was exposed to an onslaught of accurate pace bowling from Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen.
Rabada, with the wickets of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, went past the great Allan Donald, a former South African paceman who had 330 wickets in his test career. Kagiso Rabada, with a 5-for, now has 332 wickets for South Africa in red-ball cricket, with more than half of his career remaining, which makes Rabada the greatest ever to have played for the Proteas.
Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Australian bowlers bounce back
The Australian pace bowling trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood is considered the most lethal and currently the most experienced bowling triplet in the world and will be considered one of the greatest pace trios, in the history of cricket.
Starc swung the ball like anything as he delivered with the new ball, dismissing Aiden Markram in the very first over as he cleaned him up with an inswinging delivery. Next, Starc delivered again with the wicket of Rickelton as he troubled him continuously with lengths outside the off-stump.
Next, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood got through the defence of Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs, respectively, to get rid of both batters. The day ended with the skipper struggling to get the bat on the ball and Bendingham hitting two boundaries off the last two balls of skipper Cummins. South Africa is 43/4 at the end of Day 1 of play.
