AUS vs SA Live Score, WTC Final 2025 Day 2: SA (108/5 in 47 ov); South Africa stutter past 100 after Bavuma exit
Well, hello, there is a bit of controversy here at Lord's. A delivery from Beau Webster gets an inside edge from Bedingham and goes into his pads. Alex Carey makes dash to get the ball and Bedingham just picks it up and drops it to the ground. The Aussies enquired if he had obstructed the fielder. The umpires have a chat and decide to go ahead. Bedingham finishes with a boundary as South Africa head into lunch.
Score: SA 121/5 (49 OV); Bedingham (39*), Vereyenne (11*). Trail by 91 runs.
Kyle Verreynne takes a single off Beau Webster to help South Africa cross the 100-run mark in the 45th over. He gets a reprieve on the last ball of the over, as the delivery doesn't carry to Steve Smith. It's on length and in the channel; Verreynne is forced to play at it and does so with soft hands. The outside edge flies toward the second slip, where Smith dives to his left. However, the ball lands just short of him, and he does well to make the stop.
WTC final live score: South Africa (100 for 5), trail Australia (212) by 112 runs
South African wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne has joined David Bedingham at the crease. The flow of runs has dried up since the dismissal of captain Temba Bavuma. Nathan Lyon has bowled back-to-back maiden overs, while Pat Cummins has conceded just two runs in his last three overs.
A moment of brilliance from Labuschagne breaks a promising partnership and hands Australia a crucial breakthrough. It's the skipper vs. skipper battle, and Cummins comes out on top. Bavuma had looked composed and confident at the crease, but his aggressive intent has proved costly. A full delivery outside off tempted him into a drive, but he couldn't keep it down. Labuschagne, stationed at cover, flung himself to his right and pulled off a stunning two-handed catch. A sharp piece of fielding ends Bavuma's innings on 36 off 84 balls (4 fours, 1 six). South Africa now find themselves five wickets down, still trailing by 118 runs — a big blow to their hopes of a first-innings fight.
WTC final live score: South Africa (94 for 5), trail Australia (212) by 118 runs
Nathan Lyon is into the attack for the first time in the morning. He bowled one over yesterday. Keshav Maharaj got some purchase from this pitch on Day 1. Lyon would be expecting some assistance from this pitch. Will he be the man for Australia to provide a breakthrough in the first session.
How will Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham operate against spin here? Will they look to put Lyon under pressure?
SIX! What a shot that was. Pat Cummins tries to bounce Temba Bavuma out, but the South Africa captain is ready for it. He stays back and pulls it into the mid-wicket stands. A shot of authority.
This is high-quality batting from the South Africa captain, who has successfully shown the way to their batters on how to bat in this situation.
And that's the end of the first hour's play. South Africa, it is safe to stay, have won it.
WTC final live score: South Africa (87 for 4), trail Australia (212) by 125 runs. Bavuma (36*), Beddingham (17*).
FOUR! Temba Bavuma drives Mitchell Starc through the covers. The South Africa captain has led from the front this morning. There were questions asked of his intent in the final session yesterday. He has looked to put away bad deliveries today. Not a lot o f them coming South Africa's way, but this has been fantastic.
He has added fifty runs for the fifth wicket along with David Beddingham. A top effort this.
South Africa need to see off this first spells from the three Australian quicks. If they can get the part-timers to operate along with Nathan Lyon as early as possible, they have a small victory in this session.
A few overs without a lot of runs has put pressure on South Africa. Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have brought in control to proceedings as the sun is playing hide and seek for quite some time at Lord's.
Score: SA 70/4 (31 ov); Bavuma (20*), Bedingham (17*).
Temba Bavuma has been saved by DRS! Josh Hazlewood was able to swing one back in and struck the Proteas skipper right in front of the stumps. The review showed that Bavuma was able to get a slight flicker on the snick and the decision has been overturned. But was there a clear knick from the bat? Well, that will be up for debate today.
Score: SA 67/4 (28 ov); Bavuma (17*), Bedingham (17*), Trail by 145 runs.
David Bedingham has joined the fun as well as South Africa have started the day on a positive note. The runs are coming in and Bedingham gets a boundary out of Mitchell Starc's over to make it a good one for the Proteas. A big partnership is needed to make this a contest at Lord's.
Score: SA (66/4 in 27 ov); Bavuma 17*, Bedingham 17*, trail by 146 runs
A lot was said about Bavuma's approach on Day 1 and the Proteas skipper has started on the front foot on Thursday. After a maiden from Josh Hazlewood, Bavuma went at Mitchell Starc with a couple of glorious cover drives and the strike rotation with Bedingham has been way better. Can they continue this momentum? That is the big question.
Live Score: SA (56/4 in 25 ov); Bavuma (14*), Bedingham (9*), trail by 156 runs.
A fantastic start from Mitchell Starc here. He was able to beat Bavuma in the over and was hitting the bat hard. The final ball was a bit of a loosener, but the fielder was able to stop it from going to the boundary. Bavuma ran a double on the final ball to get the Proteas underway.
Score: SA (45/4 in 23 ov); Bedingham (8*), Bavuma (5*)
We're underway at Lord's as Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham restart the South African first innings. Australia do have momentum on their side and it will be all about intent from the Proteas on Day 2. Can the captain lead from the front or will the Aussie attack prove to be too much? We're about to find out now.
Beau Webster top-scored for the Aussies with 72 runs as they posted 212 runs on the board in the first innings on Wednesday. Webster came in during a tricky period as Australia had lost Travis Head just before lunch with the score at 67 for four. The all-rounder did have a lucky break when South Africa didn't go for a review against him and he paid them pay with his knock off 92 balls.
Steve Smith played a gutsy innings of 66 (112) to rescue Australia from an early collapse and helped them reach 212 in their first innings. It was the second successive fifty-plus score for Smith in the WTC final after he scored a match-winning century in the last final played in 2023 against India.
Steve Smith forged a crucial 79-run stand with Beau Webster (72 off 92) to bail Australia out of trouble on Day 1 of the WTC Final against South Africa. The duo came together at the crease at the score of 67/4 and their stand was finally broken when Smith edged Aiden Markram to Marco Jansen at first slip.
Kagiso Rabada led a spirited bowling performance on Day 1 after captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to bowl on an overcast morning at Lord's, London. He became only the second bowler after Kyle Jamieson in 2021 to claim a five-wicket haul in a World Test Championship final, as Australia were dismissed for just 212 in under 60 overs. He returned impressive figures of 5 for 51, well-supported by fellow pacer Marco Jansen, who picked up three wickets.
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins also contributed with a wicket each as they dismissed Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs respectively. The Proteas batters have found no answers to Australia's searing pace attack as they could only score 43 runs in 22 overs.
Mitchell Starc once again turned up when it mattered most, removing both Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton quickly in the first innings of the WTC Final 2025 against South Africa. The 35-year-old got two early wickets, which turned the tide back in Australia's favour. The quick bowler ended up getting Markram out in the first over with a classic inswinger that ended up crashing onto the stumps. A couple of overs later, Rickelton was his next victim as he got the edge to the slips, with the delivery moving away from the left-handed batter.
South Africa have a massive task at hand as they aim to make a comeback in the Test match. Their batters have looked clueless against the formidable pace attack of Australia. Mitchell Starc (2/10), Josh Hazlewood (1/10) and Pat Cummins (1/14) have hunted as a pack and brought the Proteas down to their knees.
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