London, June 12, 2025: Australia captain Pat Cummins delivered a sensational bowling performance at Lord’s, claiming six wickets to dismantle South Africa’s batting line-up and hand his side a first-innings lead on Day 2 of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Resuming their innings at 121/5 after lunch, South Africa crumbled under relentless pressure from Cummins, who ripped through the lower order to bowl the Proteas out for just 138 in 55.5 overs. The Australians took a 74-run lead in the first innings after scoring 212 on the opening day.
Cummins was the standout performer, finishing with exceptional figures of 6/28 in 18.1 overs. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood supported ably with two and one wicket respectively.
Earlier in the day, David Bedingham and skipper Temba Bavuma had given South Africa hope with a steadying 64-run partnership after the top order collapsed to 30/4. Bavuma showed intent with a gritty 36 off 84 balls, while Bedingham top-scored with a patient 45 off 111 deliveries.
However, Cummins returned to break the stand, dismissing Bavuma with a rising delivery. South Africa reached lunch at 121/5, with Bedingham on 39 and Kyle Verreynne on 11. But after the break, Cummins removed both Verreynne and Marco Jansen in a single over, setting off a swift collapse.
Bedingham was Cummins’ fifth victim, falling with the score at 135/8. South Africa lost their final two wickets in quick succession — including a run out of Keshav Maharaj — adding just 17 runs in the post-lunch session.
Australia’s innings had begun shakily after being asked to bat first, with Usman Khawaja falling for a 20-ball duck and Cameron Green departing for just four — both to Kagiso Rabada. The Aussies slumped to 16/2 within seven overs.
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith attempted a recovery but Labuschagne’s slow 17 off 56 balls ended when Marco Jansen struck. Smith, however, anchored the innings with a composed 66 off 112 deliveries, sharing key partnerships with Travis Head (19) and later Beau Webster.
Webster was the backbone of Australia’s innings, compiling a fluent 72 off 92 balls with 11 boundaries. His partnership of 79 runs with Smith brought Australia back into the contest. But a middle-order collapse post-lunch saw the last five wickets fall for just 22 runs.
Alex Carey (23) fell to an ill-advised reverse sweep, while Rabada cleaned up Cummins and Webster in quick succession to complete a five-wicket haul (5/51 in 15.4 overs). Jansen claimed three wickets, with Markram and Maharaj picking up one each.
In response to Australia’s 212, South Africa’s top order collapsed under lights on Day One. Mitchell Starc struck twice with the new ball, while Cummins and Hazlewood each claimed a wicket to leave the Proteas reeling at 43/4 at stumps.
With a healthy lead and momentum on their side, Australia will look to extend their advantage in the second innings as they aim for a historic WTC title.
