WTC Final, Day 1: After Kagiso Radada's elite bowling and Steve Smith's gritty batting, Aussie quicks put South Africa on the backfoot
Under crisp sunshine, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and his partner David Bedingham retreated with relieved smiles to the pavilion. They would reflect on a day that was as satisfying as it was harrowing. If bowling out Australia for 212 was worthy of contentment, the score of 43/4 at stumps, and the shocking ineptitude of their top-order, would spook them.
An Australian backlash was imminent. The deck still had enough juice to provoke the devils, even though the sun was blazing; South Africa's batting line-up is incredibly thin on grand-stage experience; and the trifecta of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood is as opportunistic as bowling cartels come. Starc removed the most gifted of them, Aiden Markram, with the last ball of the first over. The left-armer winkled out Ryan Rickleton, before Cummins and Hazlewood grabbed one apiece to leave South Africa reeling and anticipation already bubbling for another action-packed day.
Until the collapse, the day belonged to Kagiso Rabada, who eclipsed Allan Donald as the fourth-most prolific wicket-taker for his country. He illustrated ample virtues to justify his place among the elites. Returning to competitive cricket after serving his suspension, Rabada showed no signs of rust. He rustled in, supple, graceful limbs hauling his symmetrical frame and the fire in his heart. The first ball, an in-swinger that jagged back menacingly to Usman Khawaja, set the drumbeats rolling for the seam-swing orchestra of Rabada, the most athletic and artistic of contemporary speed merchants. Jasprit Bumrah ignites raw excitement, Cummins marvels with his scientific fix of pace, precision and length mastery. But Rabada makes the most difficult art disbelievingly frictionless. He is both subtle and direct; he could swing the ball both ways by shuddering margins, he could move the ball just adequately to kiss the edge. He can be a violinist as well as a drummer, could morph into a savage quick, as well as kill batsmen softly.
CAUGHT & Webster departs! 💪🏻#BeauWebster's resistance is broken! #KagisoRabada gets the breakthrough and he now moves up to No. 4 on South Africa's all-time Test wicket-takers list! 👏🏻
LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/9lZGHcdMLn #WTCFinal | #SAvAUS, Day 1, watch LIVE on Star Sports… pic.twitter.com/jxFTAtcr2f
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 11, 2025
On a cold and damp morning, he waited 21 balls for his first wicket, inevitably of Khawaja, luring his edge with a ball on fourth-stump, just holding its shape and bouncing a trifle more than the left-handed opener was anticipating. The only mystery was how he survived Rabada's new-ball onslaught that long. The away-nibblers had him poking uncertainly twice. Rabada then pushed him to the back-foot by shortening the length, before slipping the fuller one and catching him at the crease. Khawaja would vouch that it's easier dealing bowlers with default lengths than those that interchange them with immaculate dexterity.
His roar was so loud that it could have shivered the grand arena. He only grew louder as the match unfolded. The same over, he produced a wobble-seamed pearler that swung in and kicked away just a smidgeon, pouncing the outside edge of Cameron Green, captured low by the swooping claws of Markram. Rabada waited deep into the day for his next cluster of wickets, only because he was grossly unfortunate in his second spell after lunch.
The second session unfolded with a smiling sun and a splendid Steve Smith, cover-driving and cutting with languid disdain. The Smith cover drive deserves a special entry in cricket lexicon, for the sheer improbability of infusing surreal grace from an antithetical set-up, the upper body swaying to the other side, left-shoulder closing, bottom-hand heavy and weight on the back foot. Yet, his bat traces a perfect, rasping arc, the bat traipsing a straight, fluid line and the elbow high and upright. All the incongruent parts rebelling to produce a most congruous stroke. He slapped Rabada through backward point for a four to bring up his fifty, before he nipped one back onto his pads. Smith had shouldered arms and was only saved by the delivery's height.
The in-swinger, both of conventional and wobble seam, ran both Smith and Beau Webster ragged. The latter was repeatedly pinged on the pads, and the most straightforward one went unreviewed. It could have ended Webster's early torture on eight. The Tasmanian then recovered to post 72, his 79-run stand with Smith formed the spine of Australia's innings, which was tottering at 67 for 4 when Marco Jansen ejected Travis Head, caught acrobatically down the leg-side by wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne. Jansen bowled with heart and heat, composed a stunner to consume Marnus Labuschagne. But the waywardness of Lungi Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder enabled Smith and Webster to recover.
It looked as though Smith, in impregnable form, would make South Africa pay for the second-session slumber. But Markram's golden arm produced the breakthrough against the run of play. The part-time off-spinner was introduced so that Mulder could bowl down the slope. Smith's eyes lit up, but over-enthusiasm induced indiscretion, as he threw his hands at a tossed-up ball outside the off-stump, only for an edge to fly backwards, where Jansen pouched after a juggle. Smith kicked the turf in anger, but Webster kicked on and completed a gutsy half-century.
Solid as ever! 💪🏻#SteveSmith brings up a crucial fifty under pressure, steering Australia out of a tough spot! 🙌🏻
LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/9lZGHcdMLn #WTCFinal | #SAvAUS, Day 1, watch LIVE on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/D6n4lHP9Gx
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) June 11, 2025
Straightaway after tea, the score at 190 for 6, Temba Bavuma summoned Rabada. Six overs and four balls later, Rabada celebrated his second entry on the Lord's honours board and South Africa were retreating with happy faces after bowling out their nemesis for 212 runs. To the lower-order batsmen, he swapped subtlety for brutality. Two fierce back-benders nailed Cummins and Starc, after he had Webster edge and slash at a widish ball.
But the total already looks like a mountain to scale as Starc and Co would return to harass the most inexperienced South African batting line-up in recent memory, infusing a cold intrigue to the second day.
Brief scores: Australia 212 all out (Beau Webster 72, Steve Smith 66, Kagiso Rabada 5/51) vs South Africa 43/4 (Ryan Rickelton 16, Mitch Starc 2/10)
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