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- AUS vs SA Highlights, WTC Final 2025: South Africa 43/4 at stumps on Day 1, trail Australia by 169 runs
AUS vs SA Highlights, WTC Final 2025: South Africa 43/4 at stumps on Day 1, trail Australia by 169 runs
Captain Temba Bavuma agrees, pointing to Australia's unsettled batting as a potential weakness to exploit.
Australia, meanwhile, are reshaping their top-order. Marnus Labuschagne, usually at number three, will open for the first time as a replacement for David Warner. Cameron Green slots in at No. 3, returning from injury, while Josh Hazlewood reclaims his place in the XI over Scott Boland, who misses out despite stellar recent performances. All-rounder Beau Webster adds balance in case Green can’t bowl fully.
South Africa have made bold choices too — most notably pushing Wiaan Mulder to number three despite limited experience. Bavuma said the young batter is trusted and has grown in the red-ball format.
While the WTC format has been criticised for imbalance and inequality in fixtures, players still hold the mace in high regard. Australia’s Cummins said it remains one of the toughest prizes, requiring wins across conditions.
With elite fast bowlers, vulnerable batting orders, and history weighing differently on each side, the Lord’s final promises a riveting contest. For Australia, it's about asserting a golden era. For South Africa, it's a shot at rewriting their destiny.
Pat Cummins to Aiden Markram, On a length, on off, Aiden Markram defends it off the crease into the off side and calls for one straightaway. The gully fielder came running at the ball, but in the end the batters comfortably complete the single.
- Wiaan Mulder 11 (14)
- Aiden Markram 15 (14)
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, Full and around off, Wiaan is solid in defense.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, FOUR! SMASH! A rare bad ball from Josh Hazlewood, short and wide outside off, too good an opportunity to miss against the new ball. Mulder stands tall and crashes it to the left of point for his second boundary.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, On a length, just outside off, Wiaan Mulder defends it towards cover.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, On a length, angling into the right hander, on middle, Wiaan Mulder looks to flick it and misses, as the ball hits him near the stomach area. That would have hurt.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, Length ball, that shapes away slightly, well outside off, Wiaan Mulder leaves it alone.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, On a length, swinging into the right hander on off, Wiaan Mulder blocks it off the front foot.
- Aiden Markram 15 (14)
- Wiaan Mulder 7 (8)
Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Angling across off on a good length. Aiden Markram decides to shoulder arms. Two boundaries from this over, 9 overall coming off it.
Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Placed perfectly into the gap! Hits the deck hard, does Starc, with a slight inward curve onto the pads. Aiden Markram hops on the back foot and clips this past square leg for a boundary. A lovely display of wristwork there.
Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Going across off on a length, Aiden Markram plays it late and dabs the ball to the gully fielder.
Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Shapes into the batter from middle, on a length. Aiden Markram gets right behind it and keeps it out to short cover.
Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Markram is on the charge! A bit too full from Starc, across off, angling away. Aiden Markram pounces on the length and width offered, leans on the ball and cracks the cover drive for a boundary.
Mitchell Starc to Wiaan Mulder, Good length, on the leg stump line. Wiaan Mulder nudges this to the square leg region and pinches a quick single.
- Aiden Markram 7 (9)
- Wiaan Mulder 6 (7)
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, Short of a length, on off, punched off the back foot to the cover region.
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, Length ball, on the stumps, Aiden Markram blocks this out.
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, BEATEN! A superb response from 'The Hoff'! Just holds the line of the off stump, on a hard length, and the ball straightens a bit off the deck as well, with possibly some extra bounce. Aiden Markram gets a bit flummoxed by that, as he brings his bat in front to block. Plays inside the line and the ball whispers past the outside edge. Perfectly crafted nut from Hazlewood.
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, FOUR! Exquisite! Short of a good length from Hoff, outside off, Aiden Markram sees the ball closely, rocks back and punches through the cover region for a boundary.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, Good length, angled at the pads, Wiaan Mulder steers it through square leg for a single.
Interesting tactics from the Aussies. In the Lunch break, Steve Smith and Beau Webster were practicing catching with their helmets on. It is never easy to catch at slip wearing a helmet and in recent memory, Joe Root was the first to advocate this. We saw Aiden Markram donning a helmet while fielding yesterday. Right now, none of the Aussie slip fielders have a helmet on but as the ball grows older and does not carry at a good height to Carey, suspect they might employ that tactic.
Josh Hazlewood to Wiaan Mulder, Nagging length, with a bit of nip back in from off. Wiaan Mulder tucks it to mid-wicket.
- Wiaan Mulder 5 (5)
- Aiden Markram 3 (5)
Mitchell Starc to Wiaan Mulder, Hard length, on middle and leg. Wiaan Mulder keeps it out and taps it to the cover region, for a quick single. A successful over for Starc and Australia, nonetheless.
Mitchell Starc to Wiaan Mulder, Fuller and on off, pushed wide of cover.
Mitchell Starc to Wiaan Mulder, FOUR! That's desperately played and placed! Back of a length, across off, Wiaan Mulder plays it late. Dabs the ball between the gully and the diving third slip fielder. The ball races away to the deep third fence for four.
Mitchell Starc to Wiaan Mulder, Angled across the right hander, outside off, on a hard length. Wiaan lets it through.
Mitchell Starc to Wiaan Mulder, Full, on the stumps, Mulder pushes it straight back to Starc.
Wiaan Mulder walks in next at number 3, replacing Ryan Rickelton.
What's happened here? Ryan Rickelton played a loose drive and got a nick behind. The Aussies are claiming the catch but Rickelton feels that it is a bump catch. Referred upstairs by the umpire and the first replay indicates that it is a clean catch!
Mitchell Starc to Ryan Rickelton, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Australia get their first breakthrough and Starc, first frustrated the Proteas with the bat, has now drawn the first blood with the ball. Mitchell Starc bowls this full and gets an away shape from outside off. Ryan Rickelton tries to squeeze the ball through the off side, but it is a bit too full and hence, he does not lay the bat properly on it. The ball passes close to the bat and Alex Carey does the rest behind the wickets, with a dive to his left. EDGED? Or did the ball bounce off the bat? This is the question. However, the Aussies are celebrating in unison but there is no reaction by the umpire. Ryan Rickelton is not going anywhere. And the third umpire is summoned to check whether it is a bump ball. The first replay shows the ball bouncing before the bat. Next, the UltraEdge comes up and shows a clean spike when the ball is next to the outside edge. So, it is not a bump ball and is a clean catch. South Africa are 9/1 as Ryan Rickelton departs quite early.
A game comes to mind. It was between England and India, in Birmingham, in 2022. After posting 416 in the first innings, India managed a lead of 132. They then gave a target of 378 to England. And the hosts gunned it down with 7 wickets to spare. This was on Day 4 and then Day 5. Just goes to show, that in England, the pitches tend to get better as the days progress.
- Aiden Markram 3 (5)
- Ryan Rickelton 6 (7)
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, Nice and full this time around, aimed at the stumps. Aiden Markram presses forward and defends it right under his eyes.
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, Keeps the line of attack on the off stump, does Josh Hazlewood, on a hard length. Aiden Markram weighs on the back foot and punches through the cover-point region for two runs.
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, Straight and full, on off, Aiden Markram respects this and blocks it out.
Josh Hazlewood to Aiden Markram, Nagging length, on the stumps, worked to the mid on region.
Josh Hazlewood to Ryan Rickelton, EDGED, SHORT! Full, outside off, Ryan Rickelton goes for the drive through the off side, but gets a thick healthy outside edge. The ball just doesn't get to the slip fielder. Beau Webster gets a bit of hand on the ball on his dive at second slip, and the ball rolls behind. Steve Smith from first slip chases it away as the ball slows down. A single taken.
Josh Hazlewood to Ryan Rickelton, Across the batter, and fuller, around off. Ryan Rickelton makes the leave.
Absolutely no sign of swing in that opening over. Josh Hazlewood will share the new ball with Starc.
- Ryan Rickelton 5 (5)
- Aiden Markram 1 (1)
Mitchell Starc to Ryan Rickelton, Back of a length, on the top of off, Ryan Rickelton gets on the back foot and works this to the mid off region for a quick single.
Mitchell Starc to Ryan Rickelton, Sprays this further down the leg stump now, Ryan lets it pass.
Mitchell Starc to Ryan Rickelton, FOUR! Intent straightaway from Ryan Rickelton as he gets off the mark! A bit of a loosener from Starc, pushing it to the leg stump line, full in length. Ryan Rickelton flicks this through the square leg region for a boundary.
Mitchell Starc to Ryan Rickelton, This one curves away a bit on and around off, on a length. Ryan Rickelton prods forward and blocks it out.
Mitchell Starc to Ryan Rickelton, Bangs the ball hard onto the surface, does Starc, on middle. Ryan Rickelton hops a bit across and knocks the ball on the pitch.
Mitchell Starc to Aiden Markram, Markram and South Africa are underway in the chase. Starc begins from over the stumps, gets a bit of inward shape on middle, on a length. Aiden Markram stays leg side of the ball and taps it in front of mid off for a single.
Mitchell Starc and captain Pat Cummins claimed the wickets as South Africa are down three men by the 18th over.
Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder only manage to put up a combined 22 runs on the board for SA.
The 30-year-old now has 332 wickets in 71 Tests, overtaking the legendary Allan Donald's tally of 330 wickets in 72 matches.
Rabada became only the second player to take a five-for in a WTC final after New Zealand's Kyle Jamieson, who did the same in the 2021 final.
Usman Khawaja was the first to fall, with 20-ball duck in the seventh over when he edged to David Bedingham at first slip.
Cameron Green became Rabada's second victim shortly after, with Aiden Markram taking a spectacular diving catch at second slip under the Lord's floodlights.
Steve Smith arrived at the crease following Green's dismissal, with Australia looking to recover from their early setbacks.
Rabada, who has accumulated over 300 Test wickets in his career, is playing his first Test match since serving his suspension earlier this year.
The 35-year-old skipper won the toss and will chase the game, as his side aims for an ICC trophy after a 27-year wait.
The 30-year-old said, "We have specific plans for each of their batsmen, but ultimately it's about keeping things simple - that's what this game comes down to."
Rabada is joined by Lungi Ngidi in the pace attack as SA looks to counter defending WTC champions Australia.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wkt), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Australia — serial winners with depth and pedigree.
South Africa — talented, hungry, but historically haunted.
For Bavuma’s men, this is a chance to create their own identity, free of the past.
For Cummins’ crew, it’s about retaining supremacy and capping off another dominant stretch in red-ball cricket.
The match begins today at the iconic Lord’s, a fitting stage for cricket’s ultimate test. With both sides stacked with pace firepower, unsettled top-orders, and a world title at stake, the WTC Final promises high drama, history — and perhaps redemption.
Wisden dubbed it a “shambles masquerading as a showpiece,” pointing to the disparity in matches played — South Africa with 12 Tests, England with 22.
Yet, Cummins and others maintain that the mace remains a coveted symbol.
“You’ve got to win in all conditions to get here. If we can retain that mace, that’s a pretty awesome thing,” said the Australian skipper.
Despite the flaws, the WTC Final has grown in stature, representing a new peak in the Test calendar — one that both teams are desperate to summit.
Captain Temba Bavuma has identified Australia’s unsettled top-order — especially the promotion of Marnus Labuschagne to opener — as a key opportunity.
South Africa’s own changes include Wiaan Mulder’s surprise selection at number three, with Bavuma urging trust in his growth. Australia, meanwhile, have opted for Josh Hazlewood over Scott Boland, and returned Cameron Green at No. 3 after back surgery.
Australia’s captain Pat Cummins, who led them to the 2023 ODI World Cup title, sees victory at Lord’s as another chance to reinforce their legacy.
It’s a classic duel: one team haunted by history, the other chasing sustained dominance. With elite bowling on both sides and question marks over both top-orders, the stage is set for a thrilling finale to cricket’s longest format.
Match Statistics
Venue
Lord's Cricket Ground, London
