Australia took early control of the World Test Championship final against South Africa, with a strong all-round performance on the opening day at Lord’s Cricket Ground in England. Batting first, Australia posted 212 runs in their first innings.
Beau Webster top-scored with 72 runs, while Steve Smith contributed a valuable 66. Smith also achieved a significant milestone, becoming the highest-scoring overseas Test batsman at Lord’s with 591 runs in six matches.
South Africa’s pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada impressed with the ball, claiming five wickets for 51 runs, helping restrict the Australians to a modest total.
However, South Africa’s reply began in disastrous fashion, losing four wickets for just 30 runs. By the end of the day’s play, they had reached only 43 for 4. Temba Bavuma was unbeaten on 3 runs, while David Bedingham remained not out on 8.
Australia’s bowlers made early inroads, with Mitchell Starc taking 2 wickets for just 10 runs, putting the South African top order under intense pressure.
The match will resume for its second day today at 3:00 PM Sri Lanka time, with South Africa needing a strong fightback to stay in contention.
