Pacers lead Australia’s comeback in WTC final against South Africa

LONDON: Australia’s pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood dismantled South Africa’s top order on the opening day of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final here at The Lord’s on Wednesday.

Starc took two wickets, while Cummins and Hazlewood struck once each to reduce South Africa to 43/4 in 22 overs in response to Australia’s first innings’ 212.

Skipper Temba Bavuma and middle-order batter David Bedingham was unbeaten on three and eight respectively when the stumps were drawn. The duo will resume South Africa’s first innings on the second day as they still trail by 169 runs.

Left-handed opener Ryan Rickelton (16) was the only South African to amass double figures during the challenging outing with the bat.

Australia, resuming their first innings from 190/5, could add 22 runs to their total and were thus bowled out for 212 in 56.4 overs.

The ultimate clash was evenly poised by the end of the second session of the opening day as Beau Webster and Alex Carey had mustered 45 runs for the sixth-wicket partnership.

Their match-defining collapse was initiated when Carey was cleaned up while attempting to play a reverse sweep off Keshav Maharaj on only the second delivery he faced after the break. He scored 23 off 31 deliveries with the help of four fours.

Australia suffered another blow in the next over when Rabada breached the defence of their skipper Pat Cummins, who could score one.

Rabada put South Africa on top in his next over when he got set batter Webster caught at first slip, reducing Australia to 210/8.

Webster remained the top-scorer for Australia with a 92-ball 72, studded with 11 fours.

Marco Jansen then put South Africa one wicket away from wrapping up Australia’s first innings when he cleaned up Nathan Lyon, while Rabada struck again in the next over to conclude South Africa’s dominant outing with the ball.

Kagiso Rabada was the standout bowler for South Africa, taking five wickets for 51 runs in 15.4 overs. He was supported by fellow pacer Jansen, who took three, while spinners Aiden Markram and Maharaj chipped in with one scalp apiece.

The reigning champions resumed their first innings from 67/4 through veteran Smith and Beau Webster and added valuable runs to their total.

The duo batted sensibly against a momentum-filled South Africa bowling attack and knitted a crucial 79-run partnership.

The fifth-wicket stand eventually culminated in the 42nd over when part-time spinner Markram managed to draw a thick edge off Smith, which was galloped by Marco Jansen after multiple attempts.

Smith walked back after scoring 66 off 112 deliveries with the help of 10 boundaries.

Following his dismissal, Webster joined forces with wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey and the pair fought valiantly to deny South Africa further success in an eventful second session.

Webster and Carey had added 44 runs to their sixth-wicket partnership until the conclusion of the second session.

At the Tea, Webster was unbeaten on 55, while Carey had mustered 22 off just 29 deliveries.

For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have picked up two wickets each, while Markram chipped in with one scalp.

After being asked to bat first, Australia struggled to find their rhythm, failing to score a single run in the first three overs of the match.

Usman Khawaja succumbed to the pressure early and was the first to fall, dismissed by Kagiso Rabada for a 20-ball duck, leaving the team at 12-1 in 6.3 overs.

In the same over, Cameron Green, who managed just four runs off a boundary, was also sent back by Rabada, increasing the pressure on Australia at 16-2 in seven overs.

Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith tried to steady the innings, building a brief 30-run partnership to ease the early tension.

However, they couldn’t sustain the momentum, as Marco Jansen claimed his first wicket by removing Labuschagne for 17 off 56 balls, reducing Australia to 46-3 in 18 overs.

Smith and Travis Head then took charge, finding the boundary regularly and stabilising the innings as they guided the team safely to the lunch break.

Australia lost their fourth wicket before lunch on day one with the dismissal of Travis Head, who scored 11 off 13 balls, to Marco Jansen, who claimed his second wicket.

For the unversed, Australia and South Africa have faced each other 101 times in Test cricket. Australia leads the head-to-head record with 54 wins, while South Africa has won 26 matches. Twenty-one encounters have ended in draws.

Playing XIs:

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.