Australia collapse to leave World Test Championship wide open

BBC News

21 hours ago

World Test Championship final, Lord's (day two of five)Australia 212: Webster 72; Rabada 5-51 & 144-8: Carey 43; Ngidi 3-35South Africa 138: Bedingham 45; Cummins 6-28 Australia lead by 218 runsScorecard
Australia suffered a dramatic second-innings batting collapse to leave the World Test Championship final hanging in the balance after another topsy-turvy day dominated by the bowlers at Lord's.South Africa had resumed their first innings on 43-4 and managed to reach 121-5 by the lunch break with skipper Temba Bavuma, who made 36, the only wicket to fall in the morning.But the relative serenity of those first couple of hours gave way to unbridled chaos as 13 wickets fell across the next two sessions.Australia captain Pat Cummins claimed 6-28 to play the leading hand after lunch with the last five South African wickets costing just 12 runs.David Bedingham top-scored for the Proteas with 45, one of four players in their side who made it into double figures in their total of 138.Cummins' side appeared to be in the driving seat, only for South Africa's bowling attack to blow the match wide open as they ran through Australia's top order during a frenzied period after tea.Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith were the only Australian batters in the top six to make double figures as South Africa's attack turned up the heat.Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada picked up 3-35 and 3-44 respectively while Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder also claimed one apiece.Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey had counter-attacked with 43 off 50 balls but it felt a huge moment in the context of the match when he was trapped lbw by Rabada late on.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood survived a nervous couple of overs before stumps - Jansen dropped Starc at gully off Mulder - to leave Australia on 144-8 at the close and 218 runs in front.
Lord's gripped by Australia capitulation
The steward at the bottom of the steps in front of the Lord's pavilion must be in danger of suffering from repetitive strain injury.Every time he settled back into his chair after lifting the latch to open and close the gate to allow an Australian batter out to the middle he was soon repeating it to welcome him back again not long after.Australia had reached 28 without loss just before tea when their tormentor from the first day, Rabada, lit the blue-touch paper.First he dismissed Usman Khawaja in a similar vein to the first innings, inducing a nick to the wicketkeeper from the left-hander with a delivery which squared him up.Then two balls later Cameron Green departed after a defensive prod flew to Mulder at third slip.The majority of the English 'neutrals' in the crowd are supporting South Africa, and they were whipped into a frenzy by the Australian capitulation which followed in the evening.Labuschagne was guilty of poor shot selection when he edged a loose drive off Jansen to the diving Kyle Verreynne.Australia were 48-4 when Ngidi lulled Smith into stepping across his stumps and was struck on the pad, the crowd erupting when Bavuma's review overturned the original decision of not out.Webster was given out without the need for DRS after a nip-backer from Ngidi before Mulder thudded one into Head's off stump from round the wicket.A yorker from Ngidi into Cummins' pads deflected on to the stumps and Australia were in tatters at 73-7.Those with tickets for fourth day of this contest would be well advised to start making alternative plans if the first two days of this match are anything to go by.Barring any interjections from the weather it would be a minor miracle if this contest now stretches through until Saturday.Day three, however, could be a nerve-shredding humdinger.