Cricket world fumes at World Test Championship final ‘disaster' as 14 wickets fall at Lord's on Day 1
Cricket fans have been left with a sour taste in their mouths as Day 1 of the highly-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final was punctuated by a bowler-friendly pitch with runs hard to come by.
Australia was sent in to bat and quickly found themselves back in the dressing room, dismissed for just 212, as controversial South African quick Kagiso Rabada took 5/51.
But at stumps South Africa was undoubtedly worse off, slumping to 4/43 in reply, trailing by 169 runs, as Mitchell Starc finished the day with figures of 2/10 in seven overs as the ball swung and bounced unpredictably.
The trickle of runs made Beau Webster's 72 and Steve Smith's 66 have put the Aussies in the box seat after just a single day, as they were the only batters all day to score more than 23 runs.
'Starcy had the ball on a string,' Webster told the BBC at the close of Day 1.
'It's tricky for a batsman. Our bowling attack's been so strong. We know if we don't quite get it down with the bat, our bowlers will get it down. Outstanding effort from the boys.'
However, the way the wickets are flowing the Test could be over on Day 2 or 3, much to the anger of the cricketing world, who torched the Lord's pitch.
'14 wickets on Day 1 of a WTC, complete disaster. They really mucked this one up,' one fan wrote on X.
'Should have had a pitch that had gripping session by session play for a WTC Final, this is poor advert for red ball cricket,' another noted.
'This Lord's Pitch is just like Southampton 2021 WTC Final pitch. There will be movement on all days, it's pretty much bowler friendly,' a third said.
'Unfit pitch, Day 1 ruined,' a fourth added.
But not all batsmen had a day to forget at Lord's with Smitch once again looking at home on the iconic English wicket.
The best Test batsman of his generation scored a crucial 66 after an early Aussie collapse to take his personal tally at the home of cricket to 591 runs.
It took him past legendary names like Don Bradman (551), Garry Sobers (571), and another Australian, Warren Bardsley (575), who has held the record for the most runs at Lord's by a touring player since 1926.
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