Aussies crumble while South Africa batter admits to ‘dodgy' act
After another dramatic collapse, Australia's pace machine will need to bowl them to a famous victory as South Africa struck back in a pulsating World Test Championship final at Lord's.
Having secured a first-innings lead of 74 thanks to a landmark 6-28 from captain Pat Cummins, Australia limped to 8-144 at stumps on Thursday in a decider that should be over well within three days.
A frantic 45-minute collapse of 5-29 after tea on day two left the door ajar for the Proteas to pull off a monumental upset as they attempt to lift their first ICC trophy since 1998.
The lead of 218 could already still be enough after South Africa were rolled for just 138 in their first innings.
Only four teams have successfully chased a target of more than 200 in a Test at Lord's.
'Happy we got 200,' Cummins said. Travis Head was out for 9 in Australia's second innings. Credit: Getty
'Hopefully, we get another 20 or 30 in the morning, that'd be good.
'That would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields.
'Ideally we'd have a few more wickets in the shed.
'We're going to have to still bowl well in the fourth innings.'
Fourteen wickets tumbled on Thursday, after 14 had already fallen on a dramatic opening day.
But wicketkeeper Alex Carey (43) and star quick Mitchell Starc (16no) were able to steady Australia late in the day.
The pair put on a crucial 61-run stand, after the reigning WTC title holders had slumped to 7-73.
Kagsio Rabada (3-44), however, had one last spell in him and was able to dismiss Carey for his eighth wicket of the Test.
Starc was then dropped by towering Proteas quick Marco Jansen in the slips two balls before stumps.
In seven overs of chaos after tea, unheralded Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi (3-33) steamrolled Australia's middle-order in stunning fashion to boost the chances of a boilover.
Left-armer Jansen, who appeared to hurt his finger in the field, removed Marcus Labuschagne in the second failure of his first Test as an opener.
Having not played a Test since September, Ngidi then took the prized wicket of Steve Smith, before taking care of Beau Webster and Cummins.
Earlier, Cummins had demolished South Africa to become the eighth Australian to take 300 Test wickets. Cummins was in cracking form at Lord's. Credit: Getty
While Starc started the destruction on Wednesday evening, Cummins was relentless in finishing the job with the 14th five-wicket haul of his brilliant 68-Test career.
The first paceman to captain Australia long-term, Cummins joins the country's greats in reaching 300 wickets.
Shane Warne (708 wickets) and Glenn McGrath (563) sit one and two, while Cummins' teammates Nathan Lyon (553) and Mitchell Starc (384) are next in line.
Dennis Lillee (355), Mitchell Johnson (313) and Brett Lee (310) are the others to take more than 300.
Out of those eight, only McGrath has a better average (21.64) than Cummins' 22.08.
The 32-year-old also finished with the best figures by a captain at Lord's, bettering England's Bob Willis' 6-101 in 1982.
One of Cummins' six victims was Kyle Verreynne, who had to go after being trapped lbw.
As Cummins was pedalling backwards while appealing, he and Verreynne collided with each other and tumbled over.
The umpire gave the South Africa wicketkeeper not out, but Cummins successfully appealed.
David Bedingham (45) top scored for South Africa, while Proteas captain Temba Bavuma survived a controversial DRS decision.
Adjudged lbw on 16 off Josh Hazlewood, Bavuma left it late to review, but eventually took the decision upstairs with four seconds remaining.
Bedingham insisted South Africa were not burdened by the weight of history and the Proteas' dismal record in big ICC games.
'There's a massive belief in this team,' he said.
'It's just an amazing chance.
'We're all very excited about the opportunity to win.'
Admitting he panicked, South Africa's David Bedingham was simply relieved not to have been given out obstructing the field.
Two years after his infamous stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord's, Alex Carey could have been at the centre of another controversial moment at the home of cricket.
In the final over of the first session of day two on Thursday, Bedingham edged the ball into his pads.
Standing up to the stumps, Carey waited in preparation to claim the catch if the ball spilled out. Aussie keeper Alex Carey waits to pounce. Credit: Getty Images
But before the Australian wicketkeeper could pounce, Bedingham grabbed the ball out and threw it away.
'I panicked big time,' Bedingham said.
'The umpire said, regardless, I think it was dead ball.
'But I think the way I dropped the ball, (then) picked up the ball came across a bit dodgy.
'I'm glad they just withdrew the appeal ... I'm glad nothing happened out of it.
'The slip cordon told me don't panic -- but I panicked big-time in the moment.'
Australia captain Pat Cummins was unfazed about the incident.
'The umpires said it was dead ball first of all, but I think we probably would have withdrawn,' Cummins said when asked about the prospect of appealing for a dismissal.
Carey, and his Australian teammates, were booed and heckled by the usually mild-mannered MCC members back in 2023 when Bairstow was stumped wandering out of his crease on the final of the Ashes Test at Lord's.
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