Australia vs South Africa, WTC Final: Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma bring Proteas closer to ICC glory on Day 3
Aiden Markram vs Australia in the WTC Final (Image via AP /Kirsty Wigglesworth)
South Africa moved closer to winning their first World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord's on Friday, reaching 213-2 in their second innings with
Aiden Markram
scoring an unbeaten century.
The Proteas need just 69 more runs with eight wickets remaining to achieve what would be the second-highest successful run chase at Lord's.
Markram finished the day on 102 not out, partnering with captain
Temba Bavuma
who scored 65 despite battling a hamstring injury. The pair built an unbroken 143-run partnership as South Africa pursued victory. The highest successful chase at Lord's remains 344, set by the West Indies in 1984.
South Africa has not won an ICC title since the 1998 ICC Knockout.
Australia's Mitchell Starc made significant contributions earlier in the day, scoring an unbeaten 58 in Australia's second innings total of 207. He then dismissed Ryan Rickelton for six and Wiaan Mulder for 27 as a fast bowler. Starc nearly claimed a third wicket when Bavuma edged the ball, but Smith dropped the catch at an advanced slip position and left the field with a finger injury.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting
Luxeartisanship
Buy Now
Undo
Batting conditions improved significantly at Lord's under sunny skies, with early moisture dissipating from the surface.
Poll
Will South Africa secure their first World Test Championship title against Australia?
Yes
No
Markram displayed aggressive intent from the start, scoring boundaries off Australian captain Pat Cummins through punches and pulls. Bavuma, despite his injury, contributed with elegant shots including a drive down the ground off Cummins.
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon challenged both batsmen.
Markram survived a close call when he missed a sharply turning off-break that also eluded wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Bavuma reached his fifty off 83 balls, despite being hampered by a hamstring injury. He had a lucky escape on 43 when his slog-sweep off Lyon fell just short of substitute fielder Sam Konstas at deep midwicket.
Markram achieved his eighth Test century in 84 innings, reaching the milestone with his 11th boundary through midwicket off Josh Hazlewood.
He had earlier moved to 97 with a straight drive off the same bowler.
Bold prediction! Astrologer Greenstone Lobo picks winner of Australia vs South Africa WTC Final 2025
The day began with South Africa making early progress when Kagiso Rabada dismissed Nathan Lyon lbw, leaving Australia at 148-9. However, Starc, who had been dropped on 14 by Marco Jansen the previous day, formed a crucial 59-run last-wicket partnership with Hazlewood. Part-time spinner Markram eventually ended the Australian innings by dismissing Hazlewood.
Rabada finished with impressive match figures of 9 wickets, including 4-59 in the second innings.
The match situation leaves South Africa well-positioned to secure a historic victory, though they face the challenge of overcoming their history of struggling in major tournament finals against the defending World Test Championship holders Australia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
36 minutes ago
- NDTV
Matthew Hayden, Dale Steyn Slam Australia's Approach Against South Africa In WTC Final: "Little Bit Surprised"
Cricket legends Matthew Hayden and Dale Steyn slammed Pat Cummins and Co. for their defensive approach in the final innings of the ongoing World Test Championship final. A gritty century by Aiden Markram and an equally solid 65 from skipper Temba Bavuma pushed South Africa closer to their maiden world title glory. By the end of play on Day 3, the Proteas were 213 for 2, with Markram (102 not out) and Bavuma (65 not out) at the crease. They need 69 runs to win in their run-chase of 282. On Friday, Australia not only lost their control of the game but also stand on the verge of losing the contest too. Setting a 282-run target, Australia managed to reduce South Afica to 70 for 2 through Mitchell Starc's twin strikes, but what followed was complete dominance from Markram and Bavuma. As the duo kept going, Australia captain Pat Cummins resorted to defensive fielding, taking out players from some of the important catching areas. "You know, this defensive effort here from Australia, it was all about how they were going to take wickets and how they were going to do that early," said former Australia opener Matthew Hayden at the end of play on Friday. "You know, when they got through to Mulder, they got through Rickelton, and they had to put at that point pressure on Bavuma. They had to put those catching cover areas, had to be less defensive, more attacking. Can you imagine if those first couple of balls had been chipped up? South Africa now it's three down. Australia got control of the match. So for me, that was a trick." he added. The Markram-Bavuma duo stitched unbeaten 143-run partnership to put South Africa really close to the victory line. "The drifting of the nature of the game just allowed the rotation of strike, allowed that partnership to grow and build in confidence, and it just got away from the Australian bowling lineup. Yes, it's flat conditions, but you must take 10 wickets to defend the World Test Championship. You must take the top three out of play," said Hayden. South Africa pacer great Dale Steyn too had a similar opinion. "Yeah, a little bit surprised, I think. You know, you have to adapt with the flow of the game, and obviously today, we've seen the ball has been keeping really low, it hasn't really managed to make it to the slips, even from yesterday. And, you know, whenever we used to play, I would play a place like India, your short cover, short midwicket, it doesn't matter. They're as good as cordon slips in South Africa or Australia or something like that. So on days like this, when the ball is not travelling and it's not making its way to the slips, you have to have those guys in those kinds of catching positions," he said.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Aiden Markram likened to Kallis after century 'dwarfs' Australia's total in WTC final: ‘He had to unlearn his.…'
Aiden Markram led South Africa's comeback in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at the Lord's Cricket Ground. Set a daunting target of 282, the Proteas were in desperate need of a solid start. The right-handed batter registered a duck in the first innings as his stumps were rattled by Mitchell Starc. However, Markram proved why he is rated as one of the best batters in the modern day as he smashed a remarkable century in the second innings to help Proteas inch closer to a famous victory. Former India opening batter Aakash Chopra lauded Markram's effort as he likened his technique to that of former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis. With a ton in the second innings at Lord's, Markram became just the third batter to score a century in the WTC final after Steve Smith and Travis Head. Markram found support in skipper Temba Bavuma as the duo frustrated the Australian attack. 'He is the only South African batter to score a hundred in an ICC men's final. He became the third centurion in WTC final history. He is the first to score a hundred in the fourth innings,' Chopra said on his YouTube channel. Also Read: Aiden Markram rises to the challenge, smashes 8th Test ton as South Africa inch towards historic WTC win "Let me put my hand up. I had said that the decision to bowl first after winning the toss wasn't a good one because there would be fourth-innings pressure. 282 runs are a lot, but he dwarfed that total. His technical foundation is excellent. He reminds us a little of Jacques Kallis,' he added. South Africa conceded a lead of 74 in the first innings, and the team was criticised for playing with a defensive mindset. The Proteas top-order just looked to stay in the middle, which made run scoring difficult. The Australia pace attack was all over them like a rash in the first innings. However, in the second innings, the Proteas adopted a different mindset, looking to dispatch loose deliveries and rotate strike consistently. Chopra said that scoring a century in the WTC final was not easy for Markram, as he was coming into the Test match having played in the IPL. Hence, changing habits this quickly isn't that easy for any batter, but Markram did the needful and is reaping the rewards. 'What would have been the difficulties for Aiden Markram? One, he was playing only T20 cricket for the last two months. So he had to unlearn his T20 habits and then focus on Test cricket. That's a difficult job,' Chopra said. 'Secondly, he got out for zero in the first innings. That was also a problem. Wickets have fallen here with the new ball. If you look at the first three innings, wickets had fallen with the new ball in every inning. He ensured that he came with a positive mindset,' he added.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Pat Cummins, Travis Head lead the way as Australian players salute Aiden Markram in WTC final
Australians are as tough as it gets on the field. The easiest way to earn their respect is by performing against them. Ask Aiden Markram. The South African opener, who was out for a duck in the first over of Mitchell Starc in the first innings of the WTC final, was congratulated by almost every Australian player after his superlative century in the second innings. The fact that Makram's century could possibly mean Australia would not be able to win back-to-back WTC titles did not deter captain Pat Cummins, batters Usman Khawaja, Travis Head and wicketkeeper Alex Carey from doffing their hats to him. At the close of play on Day 3 at Lord's, the Australian cricketers, led by Cummins, walked one by one towards Markram and shook his hands. Cummins and his battery of fast bowlers threw everything at Markram. At times, they were a bit defensive, but mostly, Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Starc were at it all the time. But a determined Markram showed no signs of relenting. Barring an outside off Cummins when he was batting on 23 that didn't carry to Alex Carey, Markram did not put a foot wrong. If anything, he was supremely cautious of his off stump, assumed of his foot movements and was quick to latch on to anything loose. His strike rate of 64 and 11 boundaries was proof of that. It was only fitting that Markram reached his century with a boundary. What followed was an overflow of emotions. Markram teared up but quickly gathered his composure. He then soaked in the applause, which included a standing ovation from the Lord's crowd, and thanked the stars by looking upwards. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who was Markram's batting partner in South Africa's pursuit to end their 27-year-long wait for an ICC title, was the first to hug Markram for his 8th Test century. Seven balls later, stumps was called and then it was the turn of the Australian cricketers to shake hands and pat Makram on his back. The crowd cheered and clapped as Markram led the players off the field. South Africa still needed 69 runs to win but what Makram had done was nothing short of outstanding. He became the first visiting batter since former Australia captain Michael Clarke in 2009 to hit a fourth innings at Lord's. It was the third century in the second innings overall. His unbeaten 102 took him second on the list of most second-innings Test centuries behind Graeme Smith (4). 'We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion, of that there is no doubt,' South Africa batting coach Ashwell Prince 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.' Despite the first-innings duck, Markram remained confident in his technique after scoring five fifties in 13 innings at the Indian Premier League. They weren't in the same format but they put him in a good headspace for the WTC final.
