Test cricket LIVE: Australia vs South Africa day four from Lord's
6.48pm
Smith's West Indies tour in doubt after finger left at sickening angle
By Daniel Brettig
Steve Smith's West Indies tour has been thrown into doubt after he was taken to hospital for x-rays on a compound dislocation to his right little finger.
Smith's digit was left bent at a sickening angle after he dropped a sharp chance offered by Temba Bavuma on the third afternoon of the World Test Championship final at Lord's, having moved up very close to the bat at slip.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson confirmed that Smith was set to be taken for scans on the badly damaged finger. The first Test against the West Indies in Barbados is scheduled for June 25, a little less than two weeks from now.
'Steve Smith has suffered a compound dislocation of his right little finger while fielding in the slip cordon during the ICC Men's World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's,' A CA spokesperson said.
'He was assessed by Australian team medical staff at the ground and taken to hospital for x-rays and further treatment.'
Australian assistant coach Daniel Vettori told reporters during a press conference that Smith was taken straight to hospital following the incident and didn't even make it to the change rooms.
6.47pm
Good evening and welcome to day four
By Jon Pierik
Hello, and welcome to day four at Lord's.
Following decades of falling agonisingly short of success, South Africa is on the cusp of a first major cricket triumph with 69 runs needed to win the World Test Championship final.
Only four wickets were taken on day three – two each in the first two sessions before Aiden Markram (102 not out) and hobbled captain Temba Bavuma (65 not out) lifted the Proteas into a position of strength, batting through the entire evening session for an unbroken third-wicket stand of 143.
It shapes as an exhilarating opening session tonight.
Don't miss a moment of the action, as the Proteas attempt to dismiss ghosts of failure's past, while Australia look to conjure a morning miracle.
1.21pm
England close to locking in next three Test championship finals
English cricket is close to agreeing to host the next three world Test championship finals despite an attempt from India to stage the show-piece event.
The world Test championship began in 2019 and has run three two-year cycles, all of which concluded with a final in England in June.
India expressed an interest to stage the game in International Cricket Council meetings and there has been discussion about sharing hosting rights around the world.
It is understood, however, that in recent days, officials from the England and Wales Cricket Board have been verbally informed of the ICC's intention to host the next three finals on these shores.
It is expected that the decision will be rubber-stamped at the ICC's annual conference in Singapore next month, but the ECB is expected to begin planning the 2027 edition of the WTC final promptly after the current one, between Australia and South Africa, ends.
The next cycle of the championship begins on Friday, June 20 with the first Test of England's five-match series against India. Despite mooted changes to two divisions, the WTC's structure will remain the same for this cycle as the last.
With a vast population, wealth and an insatiable appetite for the game, India are the dominant force in world cricket. The ICC's Indian chairman Jay Shah has been at this year's final. Until November when he moved across to ICC, the 36-year-old son of Amit Shah, India's Minister of Home Affairs and a close ally of president Narendra Modi, was in charge of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The Indian influence at ICC headquarters is expected to extend with the appointment of Sanjog Gupta, of broadcast giant Jiostar, as chief executive.
The three finals so far have all been at different venues in England. In 2021, when COVID-19 protocols were still in place, the Utilita Bowl in Southampton hosted the game between New Zealand, who won, and India, because of its ability to house the players on site. In 2023, Australia beat India at the Kia Oval, which hosted in part because of sponsorship snags at Lord's, where the game has been played this week.
History and prestige means Lord's will be the strong favourite to host the game again in 2027, but conversations over exactly where it is played remain at a nascent stage.
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