SA vs AUS highlights, WTC Final 2025 Day 2: Australia 144/8 vs South Africa at stumps

Rabada has broken the partnership here. It was an incoming delivery that Carey missed, tried to work on the leg-side, was given out on-field, and Carey sent it upstairs; however, it was the umpire's call on wickets hitting. That is eight down, but he did his job, though did Carey under the circumstances. At one stage, this was looking quite ugly for them. Eight wickets for Rabada in the game, what a Test match he is having here

This is a very good partnership between Carey and Starc, it has gone past 50 runs. They have batted quite well. Intially, they had to put off the fire, and they did, and in the last few minutes or so, Carey is trying to play a few more shots. South Africa is just letting the game to drift away here. The lead is nudging towards 200. However, the good thing is that the wicket is getting slower and slower which might help the batting side in the second innings.

Australians are going to be more suited to the seam and bouncing pitches; they may have to adjust slightly to the lower bounce. Their batsmen are more effective on the cuts and the pulls and here they might have to find scoring options off the front foot. Both teams are coming from bouncier pitches, and the batting team that adjusts to the lower bounce and the English conditions will probably have a better chance of winning the Test match.

Carey has the reputation of playing caemos coming down the order for Australia over the years, especially when Australia are in trouble, like they are today. South Africa needs to be very of wary of that here. He can stitch a partnership here with the tailenders, and already both he and Starc have stemmed the fall of wickets for a bit now, and the partnership is growing nicely. Starc too is quite a handy batter for Australia, he too can strike a few hefty blows once he gets his eye in.

Rabada has come back into attack for South Africa. Ngidi has bowled a long spell after the tea, he did seem a bit tired. It is interesting how Bavuma opted to use his bowlers compared to Pat Cummins, who gave the bowlers shorter bursts. With about 40 minutes to go before the end of the play, a 5-over burst from Rabada might be quite threatening. Also, we have not seen spin used from Bavuma yet, with two left-handers in the middle, it is highly unlikely as well.

Temba’s been good. He’s found his little niche in terms of how he wants to captain. And there’s always that time where you’ve got to find your feet, know how you want to lead.

And he’s gone about it, not going away from his personality. He’s led in terms of the batting department the last couple of years, shown grit, gets stuck in, and been consistent in his performances. So that’s one way to lead.

He has a quiet demeanour, but there’s a steeliness; your core skill has to be leading from the front, whether you’re a captain or not. So he’s been leading the batting department. And he’s making a good pair with Shukri Conrad as the coach. So they’ve got a World Cup final to show for their efforts and hopefully a win at the end of the Test match.

Well, another one falls. It is Pat Cummins who came to hit the bowlers of the attack, perishing for a fuller one. The ball was pitched up and Cummins, trying to hit the ball on the leg side, got into stumps. This is what Ngidi can do when he is in rhythm, he can run through the batting line-ups. Australia needs to find a way to get some runs and get them quickly because South Africa has all the momentum here, and they have put themselves in a position where they can win this game.

Well, two wickets have fallen since the last update first, it was Beau Webster who was trapped in front of the wicket by Lungi Ngidi, and then it was Wiaan Mulder who picked the danger man, Travis Head. This is a resounding bowling performance from South Africa. Australia is not much ahead in this game, they are leading by 140 at the moment, they would need another 100 or so to make them feel comfortable, but the way Ngidi is bowling it might get quite tricky.

With the dry surfaces, you may not get as much pace on the pitch. So, having fielders in front of the square, would be quite effective for the fast bowlers. The edges may not be coming after the ball gets old, so maybe they have to adjust the field set. They may also have to go to the short-ball strategy and actually, have a leg slip, a short leg. You may not get the natural catches in the second or third slip because of the lack of pace from the Lord’s pitch and you have to find other ways of getting the wickets.

Ngidi gets Steven Smith the ball pitched and moved in slightly. Smith, walking across, looks to fend the ball and misses it. The on-field umpire did not give it out, and the decision was sent upstairs, and there were three reds. This is a good start for Ngidi. He started better today, the rhythm looks good, and most importantly, he is controlling the game and not giving away easy runs. Beau Webster, who was the top scorer in the first innings, comes into the middle.

Jansen, coming from around the wicket, has created the breakthrough. The ball was pitched up as Labuschange tried to drive through the covers and got the edge to the keeper. That is the breakthrough South Africa was looking for. From Labuschange's perspective, he worked very hard in the innings the end it was quite a tame dismissal in the end. Travis Head has walked into the middle, and he can be a very dangerous customer for South Africa, given where this game is placed.

Australia is chipping away here. Each overpass by without a wick,et both Smith and Labuschagne would have taken further shine out of that ball. Hence it is important that Bavuma finds a way to create a breakthrough here. It might come from bringing back Rabada into the attack or putting some fancy field sets. Because as things stand, Australia doesn't have to make any play in this game, they are way ahead, and if they manage to bat today, they will be 200-250 ahead.

It is interesting that Bavuma has opted to go with Ngidi instead of Kagiso Rabada. Ngidi in the first innings struggled to find his rhythm. He kept drifting away down the leg-side in this innings; he has to bowl better. He is operating from a different end at the moment, and so far, so good; however, he needs wickets to show for. On the other end, Marco Jansen is resuming from there. He did bowl well before the break, but like Ngidi, he too needs wickets to show far.

We are back. Steven Smith and Labuschange walk into the middle. The next session is crucial in determining which direction this game will take. Australia are ahead, but with the couple of wickets South Africa have picked before the break, they do have a fighting chance here.

That's the session done., It was looking like Australia were running away with the game, but Rabada, with that penultimate over before the break, picked up two wickets to turn this game around. However, despite the breakthroughs, South Africa is still way behind in this game; they will need to bowl out Australia under 100 if they need to make a game out of this. As per Australia, they have to keep chipping away and adding score. If one of the batters can get to a good 70-80 that will be game done and dusted. Do join us after the Tea break.

Kagiso Rabada has picked up two wickets here. First, it was Usman Khawaja, the bowler went around the wicket. The ball pitched and seamed away, it has been a very identical way Khawaja has been getting off late. And second, it was Green who charged down the track and edged it to the keeper. Five wickets in the first innings, two already here in the second innings. He has bowled six overs in this spell did Rabada and Bavuma might be tempted to give him one more over here.

12 - Imran Khan
9 - Richie Benaud
9 - Pat Cummins
8 - Bishan Singh Bedi
7 - Courtney Walsh
7 - Jason Holder

Kagiso Rabada did bowl an exceptional spell yesterday, and he has to bowl even better if South Africa is to stay in this game. Apart from him, Lungi Ngidi, who has been picked as the third seamer too,, needs to deliver the goods. He did look quite rusty in the first innings. We might see Keshav Maharaj too having a role to play. As per Australia, both Marnus and Khawaja are looking solid in the middle with the sun shining bright and the day 2 afternoon this might be probably the best time to bat in this game.

One of the trickiest parts for Bavuma here is getting the balance between attack and defence right. They are so much behind in the game that they cannot try to overattack, nor can they sit back and wait for the opportunities to keep coming. As per Australia for them it is scoring some positive runs. They need to get a good base here, which will change the body language of South Africans quickly. Labuschagne especially, has played a crisp shot through mid-wicket and is looking in fine touch.

It's great, got some family as well here, which is nice. Came out after lunch with them looking good and bowled well. Pretty happy to have a decent lead at the moment. It's way more than I could have asked for, for any fast bowler 300 is a big number, niggles, injuries and played for a long time, so pretty happy. When the ball is soft, it's easier to bat but it still feels like the odd ball is nipping, feel we bowled well.

Pat Cummins picks up the wicket of Rabada, and that is South Africa bundled out for 138. The Australian skipper has picked up six wickets and also his 300th wicket of his Test career. Post lunch, it did unfold quite quickly for South Africa, and they need to bowl exceptionally in the second innings to make a match out of it. 74 runs lead for Australia on this wicket with the bowling they have is way too many. It does seem like the result of the game is almost decided we will be right back after the break with the Australian batting innings.

Australia can smell blood here. They can get a sizable chunk of lead if they can finish off these two batters. South Africa, on the other hand needs to get as close to the score as they can because of things stand now, things are looking quite tricky. As we update, Keshav Maharaj has got himself runout. After the Lunch break, that is fourth wicket South Africa has lost within a space of an hour. It did seem like the morning South Africa were going to give more of a competition but in this session the Australians have tightened the screws over South Africa.

Well, that's a five-wicket haul to Pat Cummins. The field was set for a bumper, but the Cummins bowled a length delivery which angled away from Bedingham, and the keeper took a simple catch. That is superb planning from Cummins. He has been in superb rhythm since the break. He has picked up three wickets since the Lunch Break. With Bedingham gone, it might be time for South Africa to look to counterpunch instead of trying to build a partnership. Nathan Lyon, especially who is not getting much help, can definitely be targeted.

Well, in the same over, Cummins got rid of Jansen. He dug the ball into the pitch while Jansen tried to work the ball on the leg-side, got the leading edge, and Cummins took an excellent caught and bowled opportunity. That over has put Australia right back into the game they can now pick up a healthy lead. Keshav Maharaj has walked into the middle. It might not be a bad ploy for Maharaj to take on the bowling. A bit of counterattack, quick 40-50 run partnership might not be a bad thing at this stage of the game.

The Australian skipper gets the breakthrough here, and it is Verryenne. The ball came back in and the batter jumped up to work the ball on the leg-side, but missed it. The umpire on-field did not give it out; however, the decision was sent upstairs, and there were three reds on the replay. Amidst all the Cummins and Verryenne collided with each other, but both are fine. Just after the break, Australia has created another opening. Marco Jansen has come into the middle, and both Bedingham and Jansen have to do it all over again, which is to build the partnership.

Well, the sun is shining bright and we are underway. That's how conditions here in England go, and we resume. Skipper Pat Cummins has the ball after the break.

Well, well, we have a delay, it is raining and the covers or on the pitch. We are yet to have an official update on what time the game will resume here. 

Neil McKenzie, who played 58 Tests for South Africa in a nine-year career, spoke on whether he thinks Temba Bavuma’s men can beat defending champions Australia and what the WTC Final and Test cricket overall means to the country in a chat with The Indian Express.

When the two teams set out for the clash at Lord’s, cricketing folklore from another century will also be redrawn at the ‘Home of Cricket’ as the neutral setting isn’t entirely new to this rivalry. Of the 101 Tests played between Australia and South Africa, two matches have been played in neutral capacity in England, 113 years ago, back in 1912. (READ)

That's the Lunch break, it is still neck and neck, both sides are not letting the game drift away, it has been a game of attrition thus far. South Africa still has batting to come, and given the lead of Australia is now under 100, it does get concerning. This is not going to be a game of high leads, it will be around 40-50 runs, and if South Africa can get that advantage, they will be driving this game. This is getting closer than what the pre-match narratives promised. We will be right back after the lunch break, do join us.

The first hour South Africa clawed back a bit into this game, but since Bavuma's wicket, the run scoring has completely stopped. Given how this Test match has progressed, there will be a ball with your name on it if you are a batter, and hence, they need to take their chances of getting the boundaries away. However, with few minutes to go for Lunch, it might not be a viable option but coming after the Lunch break, they need to try and get lot more boundaries away, be a bit proactive and try and rotate the strike just to keep the momentum going.

Australians are used to operating in short, sharp bursts. We have seen Cummins, despite picking wickets and bowling well did take him out of the wicket and bring in Hazlewood. Testing 15 minutes or so here for South Africa as the runs have completely dried up and Hazlewood is not going to give loose ones either. However, in hindsight, they could have tried and get a few runs against Nathan Lyon early in the piece to put some pressure on him. However did not happen now he is well into his spell and bowling quite well.

How often have we seen Cummins picking the captain of the opposition? He did exactly that yet again today.  Bavuma tried to drive the ball on the up, hitting it straight to the fielder close in, Marnus Labuschagne, who took a stunning catch. With five wickets down before 100 has been reached, South Africa are in a bit of a pickle here. Australia are chipping away, that is what makes them such a brilliant attack, they are at you all the time. There is just no respite. Nathan Lyon, who has also come into the attack, has been quite tidy so far.

Both Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins are in operation at the moment. There is a slight bit of nibble in the air for Cummins, but nothing extravagant. Bedingham, too, is batting quite well here. He is used to batting in these conditions because of his county stint. His experience thus far has been put to good use. However, what South Africa needs here is both Bavuma and Bedingham going onto make good 80s or even one of them getting a good 100. That will be the difference between the sides.

Both Bavuma and Bedingham are building a nice partnership here. The conditions are overcast, conducive for pace bowling. However, now that both Bavuma and Bedingham have done the hard work of staying in and fighting it out. Now it is time they make the most of this phase. While Australia did manage to pick a few early wickets, the score they have put on in the first innings is not a massive one. All this game needs from South Africa is a good partnership here that will change the tilt the balance in favour of South Africa. 

How about it! The first six of the match and it's come from the bat of the South African captain off the Australian captain. Tird ball of the 35th, Cummins bangs it in and it comes to about chest high for Bavuma. The batters swivels and nails the pull shot, ball flies into the stands.

Bavuma drives Starc gloriously through covers seocnd ball of the 34th over and that brings up the 50-run stand between these two. This was a half volley outside off, no swing, Bavuma leans into it and sends it away. South Africa looking good now. 

Hazlewood continues in the 28th, third ball is full length and nipping in down the Lord's slope. Bavuma caught in the crease playing down the wrong line, his feet rooted to the spot. The Australians appeal and the umpire raises the finger for LBW. Bavuma has a longish conversation with Bedingham, he seems pretty sure that he is a goner but goes for DRS anyhow. And well, well, there was an inside edge! Bavuma didn't look like he knew anything about that at all! Well none of it matters at the end of the day because net result is that the umpire has to overturn his decision and the South African captain lives to fight another ball. The batters run a leg bye off the last ball. 

Bavuma on 17 off 56, Bedingham on 17 off 26. 

SA 67/4 in 28 overs, trail by 145

Starc continues for the 27th over, staying around the wicket for the first ball to Bavuma, then he goes over the wicket to Bedingham once the Soiuth African captain takes a single. Starc then stays around the wicket for the last three balls, his fifth ball is an inswinger on Bedingham's front pad, the batter pings it through mid on for four. 

Bedingham on 17 off 26, Bavuma on 17 off 50. 

Starc continues and Bavuma shows intent and scoops it over covers for a boundary!! That's more like it from the SA captain. Follows that up with a quick single as 50 comes up for the Proteas. Bedingham with a single of his own next. And Bavuma with another excellent shot That's driven over deep backward point for four more.

SA 55/4, trail by 157 runs

Hazlewood to bowl the second over and he cramps Bedingham for room in the first two deliveries as the SA batter defends. Ohhh!! An edge and it does not carry!! Just short of 1st slip. Maiden over.

SA 45/4, trail by 167 runs

Starc with 2 slips and a gully. Gets an inside edge from Bavuma but it's dug into the surface. The second one is an outswinger as it misses Bavuma's edge by an inch. Back to back dots follow as Bavuma is cautious in the early goings. And a misfield by Labuschagne gets 2 from the last ball.

SA 45/4, trail by 167 runs

And we are off to the races in the second day of this enthralling World Test Championship final. Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham in the middle and Starc will start proceedings.

Lord's is baked in sunshine today, word is this should stay around for the rest of the day. There was a bit in the pitch yesterday, some quality fast bowling on display as well. It will still nibble around, it's quite dry though. The mindset should be to show intent, they'll (the South African batters) need to play with a positive mindset and take on the bowling. Nathan Lyon could be a key factor in holding the game and support the pacers, say Graeme Smith and Mel Jones

Neil McKenzie, who played 58 Tests for South Africa in a nine-year career, spoke on whether he thinks Temba Bavuma’s men can beat defending champions Australia and what the WTC Final and Test cricket overall means to the country in a chat with The Indian Express.

Australia, obviously, are the favourites but I hope South Africa win because we often talk about the big three (India, England and Australia) and it’s nice to see another team winning. We don’t talk much about someone like Bavuma when it comes to captaincy leadership; he’s quite an unassuming sort of background guy. It would be a wonderful cricketing story for the world to see that, well, here’s a team like South Africa that plays less Test matches compared to India, Australia and England but has won the WTC. Hopefully then the ICC will think on how to get the countries that play less Test cricket to play more.

“Coming here about a week ago, could already feel the atmosphere. Great to see the support for us. Feels like a home game. Means a lot to play for South Africa. Given my all each and every time. Happy to do the job. It was moving around a bit. With the new ball it seemed harder to score. As the ball got softer and they showed intent, they got some runs away. But you always felt that, on this wicket, especially with the way they were playing, any ball had their name on it,” Rabada said in the mid-innings interview.

For the first few overs, there wasn’t enough movement of the brand new Dukes ball and one started to wonder. But in one over – the 7th of the morning – Kagiso Rabada struck twice. Marco Jansen then removed a defensive-minded Marnus Labuschagne in the 18th over. And in the last before over lunch, South Africa stood fully vindicated of their decision. Jansen struck again to remove Travis Head, the danger man when it comes to these ICC finals.

Steve Smith notched up another record in a career filled with them when he raced to the top of the list of visiting batters to score the most runs in Tests at Lord’s on Wednesday when he reached 51 runs in Day 1 of the World Test Championship final against South Africa on Wednesday.

Under crisp sunshine, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma and his partner David Bedingham retreated with relieved smiles to the pavilion. They would reflect on a day that was as satisfying as it was harrowing. If bowling out Australia for 212 was worthy of contentment, the score of 43/4 at stumps, and the shocking ineptitude of their top-order, would spook them. (READ MORE)

This is the third ever World Test Championship final with Australia playing in back to back editions. Before them, it was india who played in back to back finals.

WTC Final 2019-2021: New Zealand vs India: NZ won by 8 wickets

WTC Final 2021-2023: Australia vs India: AUS won by 209 runs

WTC Final 2023-2025: Australia vs South Africa: TBD

After his 5-wicket haul on day 1, Rabada now has 332 wickets and is just behind Dale Steyn (439), Shaun Pollock (421) and Makhaya Ntini (390) in the all time list. He also went past Morne Morkel for most wickets among SA bowlers at Lord’s with 18 wickets and became the third SA bowler with multiple five-fors at Lord’s after Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini.

With Kagiso Rabada getting a length ball to jag back in sharply, Webster got hit on the back leg and instantly went down in pain. There was a stifled appeal for LBW but it seemed South Africans heard a couple of noises and thought the ball had hit the bat before hitting Webster flush on the knee. But replays later showed the ball missed the bat and Webster was plumb in front on the ball-tracking system that showed up all three reds. The Tasmanian allrounder went on to severely punish South Africa, scoring 72.

“I’m not entirely convinced it was Australia’s day. South Africa won the first session, and Australia’s comeback in the final session—nine wickets in all—was surprising. The conditions were odd: cloudy for half the day and sunny for the other half. Batting should have been easier, but it wasn’t. I’d say maybe 80% in Australia’s favour, largely because of South Africa’s lack of intent. That started with Temba Bavuma. As a captain, it’s not just about bowling changes—it’s also about setting the tone with the bat. He showed little vigour, and that’s dangerous when facing three world-class fast bowlers in conditions that suit them,” Hayden said on JioHotstar.

“They need to come out with more intent on Day 2. Any signs of aggression—even those few boundaries late in the day—will help. But if they don’t, Australia will come into Day 2 as firm favourites,” he added.

The two teams have locked horns in the longest format in 101 matches with Australia winning 54 times while South Africa have won 26 times. 21 matches were draws.

AUS: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann

SA: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma(c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne(w), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Dane Paterson, Senuran Muthusamy, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Corbin Bosch

When the two teams set out for the clash at Lord’s, cricketing folklore from another century will also be redrawn at the ‘Home of Cricket’ as the neutral setting isn’t entirely new to this rivalry. Of the 101 Tests played between Australia and South Africa, two matches have been played in neutral capacity in England, 113 years ago, back in 1912. (READ)