LIVE: South Africa resume on Day 2 in WTC25 Final
The match ends what has been a gripping World Test Championship cycle, where the Proteas won seven straight Test matches to seal their spot in the decider, while Australia are looking to become the first team to claim back-to-back championships, with the concept commencing in 2019.
South Africa XI: 1. Aiden Markram, 2. Ryan Rickelton, 3. Wiaan Mulder, 4. Temba Bavuma (c), 5. Tristan Stubbs, 6. David Bedingham, 7. Kyle Verreynne (wk), 8. Marco Jansen, 9. Keshav Maharaj, 10. Kagiso Rabada, 11. Lungi Ngidi
Australia XI: 1. Usman Khawaja, 2. Marnus Labuschagne, 3. Cameron Green, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Travis Head, 6. Beau Webster, 7. Alex Carey (wk), 8. Pat Cummins (c), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon, 11. Josh Hazlewood
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Int'l Cricket Council
an hour ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Prince hails centurion Markram but says South Africa must ‘stay calm'
Ashwell Prince labelled Aiden Markram the 'man for the big occasion' after the opener steered South Africa towards a famous run chase in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025. Chasing 282 to win, South Africa are 213 for two at the end of day three thanks to a majestic century from Markram and gutsy 65 not out from captain Temba Bavuma. South Africa need just 69 more runs to become champions and while Australia will refuse to give up hope of a remarkable comeback, the Proteas are firmly in the driving seat as they bid for a first ICC trophy in 27 years. Markram struck 11 fours in an unbeaten 102, bringing up his eighth Test ton with a gorgeous flick through mid-wicket in the penultimate over of the day. He struggled to contain his emotions, wiping tears away from his eyes, and batting coach Prince said a small technical adjustment was the secret to his success. 'We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt,' the former middle-order batter said. 'He has done some technical work but not a lot. In the last little while, he has had a tendency to push his hands away from his body and cut across the ball but it was not a big fix and as soon as he saw a few videos, it was simple. 'Albeit in a losing cause at Newlands, on a difficult pitch, he played an unbelievable innings against India last year and scored a ton on that surface – so we know what he is capable of. 'I think [coach] Shukri Conrad deserves credit for staying calm, it is one of his strengths. 'As soon as Aidan and Temba came up the stairs, he said we need to do the same tonight as we always do and tomorrow we do the same warm-up. It's the same processes. We understand the magnitude and what's at stake but now we stay calm.' It didn't always appear to be South Africa's day. They started Friday morning seeking two quick Australian wickets to leave the target as low as possible, but – despite Kagiso Rabada trapping Nathan Lyon lbw early – Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood dug in. They put on 59 for the 10th wicket and batted for the entire morning session, with Hazlewood finally out to the last ball before lunch to leave the target at 282. From there, it was all South Africa. While Australia benefited from benign conditions on a flat pitch to convert 144 for eight into 207 all out under the morning sun, it was the Proteas' turn for the rest of the day. Starc removed Ryan Rickelton for six but a 63-run partnership between Markram and Wiaan Mulder settled the nerves, with runs flowing amid regular boundaries. A sharp Marnus Labuschagne catch sent Mulder back to the pavilion for 27, while Steve Smith dropped Bavuma on two – and dislocated his finger in the process, earning him a trip to hospital for the rest of the day. However, after that scare, Bavuma oozed class despite damaging his hamstring in the afternoon session. Prince admits they considered retiring him during the tea interval but the captain insisted he could carry on and he hit five boundaries in a 121-ball knock. 'It is not done yet but he has had to fight throughout his career and this could be a defining moment for his career,' Prince added. 'It is the biggest stage in Test cricket. He is tough, Aiden has great respect for Temba and I think this team's greatest asset is the unity. 'You only have to look at how they celebrate a wicket to understand that. They are all aware that South Africa have had greater individual players but they have something special going on in the dressing room and it helps them drag each other along.' While 69 runs is not an intimidating number of runs to score, keeping South Africa's batters level-headed is now the challenge. Much has been made of their record in ICC tournaments – they have come close to adding to their ICC Men's Champions Trophy 1998 success on many occasions but always fallen short – but this is their greatest opportunity of breaking the duck. 'I don't know how I will sleep tonight,' Prince joked. 'I felt the message has been the same throughout. We just want to make them believe that they can do it and then step out the way and allow them to do it.' ENDS
Int'l Cricket Council
an hour ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
Vettori: Australia not giving up hope
Daniel Vettori insists Australia have not given up hope of retaining their ICC World Test Championship 2025 crown after South Africa finished the third day at Lord's in a commanding position. The Proteas, who finished on 213 for two, closed to within 69 runs of victory thanks to a superb unbeaten hundred from opener Aiden Markram after Australia had earlier set a target of 282 runs for victory. Markram, alongside captain Temba Bavuma (65 not out), put on an unbroken stand of 143 for the third wicket which broke the back of what would be the joint second-highest successful run chase at the Home of Cricket. And although Australia now face an uphill challenge on day four, Vettori knows the players will take their attempted fightback one step at a time and not look too far ahead into the future. 'There's no desire to get ahead of ourselves,' the assistant coach said. 'One wicket, that's the starting point. And because these two [Markram and Bavuma] are in such control, if we can get a new batsman to the crease, then that's the start of it [getting back into the game]. 'I don't think there will be any thinking about how to get eight dismissals. It will be simply about getting one and seeing what can happen from there.' Pat Cummins' side started the day on 144 for eight and appeared to have gained the upper hand thanks to Mitchell Starc's gritty half-century – his 11th in the format - having been dropped by Marco Jansen on 14 the previous evening. The fast bowler then took the two South African wickets to fall, having Ryan Rickelton caught behind for six before seeing the back of Wiaan Mulder – caught in the covers by Marnus Labuschagne for 27 – after a half-century second-wicket stand with Markram. At 70 for two, the game was evenly poised, but the exploits of Markram and Bavuma slowly swung the pendulum in the Proteas' favour and Vettori was quick to acknowledge the importance of their efforts. 'Under those conditions, Markram and Bavuma were exceptional,' he continued. 'They were able to navigate their way through any tricky situation and then be able to put pressure back on us at the most opportune time. 'It was a pretty benign wicket and obviously conditions weren't assisting the ball, but that partnership was exceptional.' Steve Smith left the field of play during South Africa's innings with what turned out to be a compound dislocation of the little finger on his right hand after dropping Bavuma in the slips off Starc's bowling while the batter was on two. 'He never made it to us in the dressing room,' he added. 'I think the doc and the physio got a hold of him and took him to a separate room, so they had to deal with that. 'We weren't really up to speed in terms of how gruesome the injury was. We just heard there had been a compound dislocation, something of that nature. 'There weren't too many people running to have a look. We'll just wait and see what the news is when he comes back from hospital and then everyone will be updated from there.' ENDS
ARN News Center
3 hours ago
- ARN News Center
South Africa 69 runs away from winning World Test Championship
Aiden Markram scored an unbeaten century as South Africa edged tantalisingly close to an unlikely success in the World Test Championship final, needing 69 runs to dethrone Australia after reaching 213-2 at stumps on the third day at Lord's on Friday. It was a dramatic turnaround in a gripping contest where Australia set their opponents a daunting 282-run chase but South Africa made full use of an increasingly benign wicket to chip away at the target. Markram, on 102, and captain Temba Bavuma, 65 not out, will return on Saturday and look to wrap up victory after putting together the highest partnership of the match (143 not out) in pursuit of the joint second-highest winning total in test history at Lord's. Markram, who had failed to get to three figures in his previous 16 test innings, knocked the ball to all corners and was more than ably backed up by Bavuma, whose runs came despite a hamstring strain that hampered his running between the wickets. Australia will be regretting dropping him when he was on two, not only for the runs he went on to score but the fact that slip fielder Steve Smith suffered a compound dislocation of his little finger as he spilled the catch. Fortunes in the contest fluctuated through a furious opening two days, dominated by the bowlers with 24 wickets falling, but the wicket went flat on Friday and there were only four wickets taken. The Aussies resumed on 144-8 with a 218-run lead overnight and modest ambitions of adding 20 to 30 runs more in the morning. However, an unbeaten 58 from Mitchell Starc saw them bat for two hours until lunch to the frustration of South Africa before eventually being dismissed for 207 in their second innings. Nathan Lyon was dismissed in the third over of the day, trapped leg before wicket by Kagiso Rabada, but Starc and Josh Hazlewood put on a 59-run last wicket partnership before part-time bowler Markram finally dismissed Hazlewood for 17. South Africa came out to bat after lunch and saw Ryan Rickelton out for six runs as a full delivery from Starc, angling away from the left-hander, hit the toe of Rickelton's bat and flew up for a diving catch from wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Wiaan Mulder made a lively 27 before spooning the ball to cover where Marnus Labuschagne had an easy catch off Starc for the only other wicket to fall before Markram and Bavuma settled in for more than a session to offer their country hope of what had appeared an unlikely triumph.
