Cummins shines before South Africa bounce back on Day 2
London: 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.
