Australia stretch lead over South Africa in WTC final to 106 runs
Cricket - 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final - South Africa v Australia - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 12, 2025 Australia's Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja in action as they attempt to take a catch to dismiss South Africa's Kyle Verreynne Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers REUTERS
Cricket - 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final - South Africa v Australia - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 12, 2025 Australia's Pat Cummins celebrates after taking the wicket of South Africa's Temba Bavuma, caught out by Marnus Labuschagne Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers REUTERS
LONDON - Australia took control of the World Test Championship final on Thursday as they stretched their lead over South Africa to 106 runs at tea on the second day after captain Pat Cummins had taken six wickets.
Cummins produced the best bowling figures by a test captain at Lord's as his 6-28 skittled out South Africa for 138 and gave Australia a 74-run first-innings lead.
But two wickets in three balls for Kagiso Rabada shortly before the tea break handed the South Africans some hope as they reduced Australia to 32-2 at the start of their second innings.
Usman Khawaja was dismissed for six before Cameron Green's comeback woes continued as he was out second ball after also going cheaply in the first innings.
Marnus Labuschagne was unbeaten on 16 and Steve Smith was four not out at tea.
But the middle session was dominated by Cummins as he took four wickets after lunch to induce a South African slump after they were 121-5 at the end of the morning's play.
Rain delayed the resumption by 10 minutes, but it did not take long for Cummins to get among the wickets, taking two in four balls to remove Kyle Verreynne leg before wicket for 13 and Marco Jansen without scoring. That left South Africa limping at 126-7.
Verreynne was initially given not out but Cummins reviewed the umpire's decision and his appeal was confirmed while Jansen lasted only three balls before he chipped a simple return catch back to Cummins.
Cummins' fifth wicket was David Bedingham, caught prodding at the ball to offer an edge that went through to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, ending an innings of 45 off 111 balls.
Bedingham was South Africa's top scorer in the innings, having fought hard in the opening session with captain Temba Bavuma (36) as they put together their team's only meaningful partnership of 64 runs.
After Keshav Maharaj was run out for seven, Rabada was the last South African wicket to fall as he was induced into a pull and well caught in the deep by a forward-diving Beau Webster for Cummins' 300th test wicket.
'It's way more than I could have asked for,' the captain said at the end of the innings. "Three hundred is a big number for any bowler so I'm pretty happy."
Australia's second innings started briskly with seven runs off the first over from Rabada but the seamer fought back with 2-15 off six successive overs to keep alive a fluctuating contest that has seen 22 wickets fall in five sessions. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Canada's teen sensation Summer McIntosh looking ahead to worlds after record week
Gold medallist Summer McIntosh of Canada celebrates as shes poses with her medal after winning the women's 200m individual medley. PHOTO: REUTERS TORONTO – A day after Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh completed one of the greatest weeks in swimming history with a hat-trick of world records, the Toronto teenager was already looking ahead to what comes next. McIntosh became the first swimmer to break three different individual long-course world records in one meet since American Michael Phelps at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when she achieved the feat at this week's Canadian swimming trials. The 18-year-old, who headlines Canada's 28-member team named on June 12 for the World Championships in Singapore in July, believes she can go even faster. 'I can go over with my coach and see where to make improvements and really just use this as motivation and validation for my training so far,' McIntosh said. 'Just keep pushing and moving forward and work even harder.' In a stunning statement ahead of the worlds, the triple Olympic champion continued her record-breaking over a glorious five days in Victoria, shattering world marks in the 400 metres freestyle plus the 200m and 400m individual medleys. In addition to her three world records, she set five Canadian marks, came within two seconds of Katie Ledecky's 800m freestyle world record set in May and clocked the fastest 200m butterfly time since super suits were banned in 2010. Moments after completing her hat-trick with the 400m IM on June 11, she made a beeline for fellow Canadian swimming great Penny Oleksiak, who once described McIntosh as 'all gas, no brakes'. Oleksiak, Canada's most decorated Olympian with seven medals, lifted McIntosh off her feet in a huge embrace. Then, as she had done all week, McIntosh gave her gold medal away to an awestruck young fan in the stands. She did not compete on the last day of the meet on June 12, withdrawing from the 200m freestyle. Instead, she posed for photos and chatted with the large gathering of fans outside Saanich Commonwealth Place. 'What a week Victoria! Had so much fun in the pool this week,' McIntosh wrote on Instagram. The swimmer, who raced at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as a 14-year-old, credited coach Fred Vergnoux – with whom she has been training in Antibes, France since January – for 'the best meet of my career'. '(Vergnoux) has been absolutely amazing throughout this whole journey these past few months,' McIntosh told the CBC. 'He's really taken me to the next level in the sport and pushed me farther. I've gone way faster than I ever could have imagined. 'So props to him, he's done absolutely amazing with me. And we've only known each other for so long, so I feel that connection so quickly.' McIntosh's mother Jill Horstead swam for Canada at the 1984 Olympics while her 20-year-old sister Brooke competed for Canada in pairs figure skating before switching allegiance to Spain, winning the Spanish national championships with partner Marco Zandron. They recently split. McIntosh is expected to compete in five individual events at the World Championships, which begin on July 14 with open water events before shifting to the pool on July 26. She could continue her assault on the record books, as Phelps is the only swimmer to win five gold medals in a single worlds (2007). McIntosh then plans to move to Austin, Texas to work with Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach for his entire career. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Raducanu not satisfied with level at Queen's after quarter-final exit
Emma Raducanu said she was not too pleased with the level she displayed in her 6-2 6-4 defeat to Zheng Qinwen at the Queen's Club Championships on Friday, but the Briton dismissed any fears of a serious back injury. In an entertaining battle, Raducanu had a few bright moments and secured a double break to go 3-0 up in the second set after taking a medical timeout for a back issue, but she was eventually overpowered by the Chinese world number five. "I've played five matches in a pretty short amount of time. I'm probably feeling that, so I need to let the back rest and see how it goes from there," Raducanu, who also competed in the doubles alongside Katie Boulter, told the BBC after her defeat in London. "I'm not overly concerned that (the back issue) is something serious, but I know it's something that's very annoying and needs proper and careful management. "I've improved a lot and done a lot of good work behind the scenes, but there's a lot to go to get to the next level. They are stronger than me and have had more time training - I need to do the same. I need to raise my level." Raducanu is next scheduled to compete at the German Open in Berlin as she continues her preparations for Wimbledon. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
DeChambeau, Mickelson among notables to miss U.S. Open cut
Jun 13, 2025; Oakmont, Pennsylvania, USA; Bryson DeChambeau plays his shot from the tenth tee during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images REUTERS OAKMONT, Pennsylvania - Defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau and record six-times runner-up Phil Mickelson were the high-profile players to miss the halfway cut at Oakmont Country Club on Friday. DeChambeau, who was bidding to become the first repeat U.S. Open champion since Brooks Koepka in 2018, carded a seven-over-par 77 in the second round that left him at 10 over on the week and three shots outside the projected seven over cut line. The big-hitting DeChambeau, a fan favorite who went close at the year's first two majors, looked to be in a decent spot after the opening round but made three consecutive bogeys late in his front nine on Friday and could not recover. Mickelson, in the last year of a five-year exemption into the U.S. Open for winning the 2021 PGA Championship, finished eight over on the week in his latest bid to complete the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors. Four of the top 10 players in the world ranking missed the cut, a group that in addition to DeChambeau included Justin Thomas, Ludvig Aberg and Sepp Straka. Other notables to miss the cut included 2019 British Open winner Shane Lowry and former U.S. Open champions Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick and LIV Golf's Dustin Johnson. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
