Pat Cummins tore through South Africa before a Proteas fightback left the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 on a knife-edge at the end of an absorbing second day at Lord’s.
Cummins took six for 28, reaching 300 Test wickets in the process, as South Africa lost their final five batters for 12 runs and were bundled out for 138, leaving them 74 behind.
But the Proteas’ pacemen quickly got to work and reduced the defending champions to 73 for seven, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi proving particularly effective.
Alex Carey’s crucial 43 lifted the lead above 200 and Australia will resume in the morning on 144 for eight, an advantage of 218.
Resuming on 43 for four, 169 runs adrift, South Africa began with an intent which had been missing from the previous evening session.
Captain Temba Bavuma struck two expansive boundaries off the same Mitchell Starc over before launching Cummins into the stands over deep mid-wicket for the first six of the Final.
But the Australia skipper soon had revenge against his opposite number as Bavuma drove uppishly to cover, where Marnus Labuschagne took an excellent diving catch to end the promising fifth-wicket stand on 64.
South Africa reached lunch on 121 for five but any hope they had of closing in on – or even surpassing – Australia’s first innings total went up in smoke as Cummins seized the initiative from the Pavillion End.
Kyle Verreynne was first to go, Cummins successfully reviewing an lbw verdict after colliding with the batter during his appeal, and, three balls later, he held on to a return catch to remove Marco Jansen.
The key scalp was not far behind as Cummins induced an outside edge from David Bedingham, five runs short of his half-century, to bring up his five-wicket haul and seal a place on the honours board.
After Keshav Maharaj was run out, Australia’s captain wrapped up the innings as Kagiso Rabada holed out to Beau Webster, bringing up Test victim number 300. Only four bowlers have required fewer deliveries to reach the landmark, while just three Australians – Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath – have got there in fewer Tests.
South Africa needed an injection of momentum with the ball upon the resumption and as is so often the case, it was Kagiso Rabada who provided it.
The seamer removed Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over for the second time in as many days, Khawaja edging behind before Green drove his second ball loosely to Wiaan Mulder at third slip and fell for a duck.
Steve Smith and Labuschagne saw Australia through to tea but, in another mirror image of day one, the evening session brought a dramatic collapse.
It began when Labuschagne nicked Jansen behind and Smith was trapped in front by Ngidi in the next over to leave the scoreboard reading 48 for four.
Beau Webster, Australia’s top scorer in the first innings, was next to be wrapped on the pads by Ngidi as he fell for nine and South Africa’s tails were well and truly up when Mulder uprooted Travis Head’s off stump.
Ngidi, by now a man transformed as he steamed in from the Nursery End, picked up his third scalp when Cummins was clean bowled via his pad and, in what felt like the blink of an eye, Australia had lost five for 30.
It was left to Carey and Starc to repair the damage and they successfully halted South Africa’s momentum, Carey helping the pendulum swing back towards his side with five boundaries in a pivotal knock.
He was trapped lbw by Rabada but South Africa missed the chance for another breakthrough when Jansen put down a sharp chance at gully to give Starc a lifeline in the final over of an action-packed day.
Scores in brief
Australia v South Africa – ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, Lord’s – day two
Australia 212 all out in 56.4 overs (Beau Webster 72, Steve Smith 66; Kagiso Rabada 5/51, Marco Jansen 3/49) and 144/8 in 40 overs (Alex Carey 43, Marnus Labuschagne 22; Lungi Ngidi 3/35, Kagiso Rabada 3/44)
South Africa 138 all out in 57.1 overs (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36; Pat Cummins 6/28, Mitchell Starc 2/41)
Australia lead by 218 runs with two wickets remaining
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