WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP, 2025 FINAL
Aiden Markram’s excellent 136 helped South Africa end a 27-year-old ICC trophy drought © Getty
Aiden Markram’s excellent 136 helped South Africa end a 27-year-old ICC trophy drought as they beat Australia by five wickets to clinch the World Test Championship Final on the fourth morning at the Lord’s on Saturday (June 14). The Australia pace trio all picked up a wicket each, only to delay the inevitable in a 15-minute extended morning session.
With 69 more required to win at the start of the penultimate day of the Test, South Africa remained slow but steady in the approach to the finish line. Markram carried on from where he left overnight, cautious and without any unnecessary risks, despite losing two partners at the other end.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins got his side the early breakthrough by having his counterpart, Temba Bavuma, caught behind after adding just one more to his overnight score of 65. Bavuma, though, walked off to a resounding applause from the Lord’s crowd, having put up a brave fight with a hamstring niggle the previous evening. The match-winning third-wicket partnership that doused Australia’s hopes on Day 3 was broken at 147.
Desperate to stay in the hunt, Australia burnt both their remaining reviews in quick succession. The first one of the day was wasted on a caught-behind appeal off Tristan Stubbs, on Alex Carey’s insistence. Starc did manage to get his man with an absolute jaffa the very next ball, angling into the stumps from round the wicket that Stubbs tried to block but to no avail. Carey again convinced Cummins for their last review when an LBW appeal against David Bedingham was turned down in Starc’s following over, only for them to find out that the impact outside off.
Markram raised South Africa’s 250 in the following over, before Bedingham brought the requirement down to sub-20 with a glorious straight drive. Australia opted for the second new ball as soon as it was made available, and brought Josh Hazlewood back into the attack who was greeted with a boundary straightaway by Markram. The South African opener, however, fell off the final delivery of the over when he picked out Travis Head at midwicket with perfection. The Australians congratulated Markram instead of the usual wicket celebration, and the South African walked off to a unanimous standing ovation at Lord’s as well for his match-winning knock.
The last six runs didn’t come without using every minute of that extended time allowance and some late drama. Out of reviews, Australia were left hanging when the caught-behind appeal against Kyle Verreynne was turned down as the batter tried to ramp for the winning run. The batter, however, took his team past the finish line one ball later, ending a 27-year jinx in ICC knockouts for South Africa.
Brief scores: Australia 212 (Beau Webster 72, Steven Smith 66; Kagiso Rabada 5-51, Marco Jansen 3-49) & 206 (Mitchell Starc 58*, Alex Carey 43; Kagiso Rabada 4-59, Lungi Ngidi 3-38) lost to South Africa 138 (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36; Pat Cummins 6-28, Mitchell Starc 2-41) & 282/5 (Aiden Markram 136, Temba Bavuma 66; Mitchell Starc 3-66) by 5 wickets.
© Cricbuzz
