A fantastic Australia Recovery took place in the second part of Day 1 of the World Test Championship Final! Steve Smith and Beau Webster both scored half-centuries (50 runs or more), helping Australia fight back after a tough start. Even though South Africa did get the important wicket of Smith, Australia had a very good batting session. They scored 127 runs very quickly, at almost five runs an over, reaching 190 runs for 5 wickets by the Tea break. At that point, Webster was batting on 55 runs, and Alex Carey was with him on 22 runs, not out. This impressive comeback showed strong Australia Recovery.
Australia’s Tough Start and Smith’s Leadership
The first part of the day (first session) did not go well for Australia. So, it was up to Steve Smith to lead his team’s comeback. Everyone was watching closely to see how he would handle South Africa’s best bowler, Kagiso Rabada. Smith started strongly, hitting a well-played cut shot for a boundary (four runs). He also hit another shot high in the air for a boundary towards the third man area.
Webster had a couple of lucky moments. Once, he was hit on the pads by Marco Jansen, and the umpire said “not out.” Because of “umpire’s call” (a cricket rule), he was saved, even though replays later suggested he might have been out. Another time, South Africa didn’t ask for a review (check by TV umpire) for an LBW (leg before wicket) decision off Rabada’s bowling, and replays later showed he actually would have been out. These close calls helped the Australia Recovery.
Smith reached his fifty with another cut shot for a boundary off Rabada. He also attacked spinner Keshav Maharaj, pulling him for a boundary. This fifth-wicket pair (Smith and Webster) made a very important 50-run partnership. This stand was key to the Australia Recovery.
Webster’s Growing Confidence and South Africa’s Missed Chances
After getting through some difficult times against Rabada, Webster started batting much more freely and confidently. South Africa also made a poor decision to ask for another review for an LBW appeal off Lungi Ngidi’s bowling. Replays clearly showed that Webster’s bat hit the ball before it touched his pad, so it was a wasted review.
The partnership between Smith and Webster, which was worth 79 runs, suddenly ended when Aiden Markram got Smith to edge the ball to first slip, where he was caught. Even after Smith was out, Webster and Alex Carey continued to score boundaries regularly. Webster kept playing well, riding his luck, and quickly reached a fast half-century. Australia Recovery
South Africa, meanwhile, lost yet another review. They appealed for an LBW against Carey, but replays showed Carey had hit the ball with his glove when he tried to sweep Markram’s bowling. Both Webster and Carey were still batting at the Tea break, having added 44 runs together very quickly. Their quick scoring continued the momentum of the Australia Recovery.
Early Struggles for Australia on WTC Final 2025 Day 1
Earlier in the day, Rabada and Jansen, who bowl with the new ball, bowled very accurately. They kept their bowling tight after Temba Bavuma chose to bowl first on a cloudy morning. They even bowled three overs in a row without giving away any runs (maidens). Marnus Labuschagne got Australia moving with three sets of two runs off Jansen’s bowling. However, Rabada bowled three maiden overs in a row to Usman Khawaja and finally got his reward when Khawaja edged the ball to first slip, getting out for no runs after facing 20 balls.
The decision to bat Cameron Green at number three did not work out. He also fell to Rabada, caught brilliantly by Markram at second slip. After these early wickets, Smith and Labuschagne hit a couple of boundaries. They managed to survive a great bowling spell from Rabada (who had taken 2 wickets for only 9 runs in 6 overs) and also saw off the bowling of Ngidi and Wiaan Mulder. They got through the first hour of play without losing any more wickets. This period of survival was crucial before the Australia Recovery truly began.
Building Partnerships and Lunch Break Drama
Smith hit a few boundaries at the start of the second hour of play and began to rebuild the innings with Labuschagne. However, South Africa made sure this partnership did not last long. Jansen came back to bowl about 30 minutes into the second hour. He bowled from around the wicket (a different bowling angle) and got Labuschagne to edge the ball to the wicketkeeper, ending their 30-run partnership. Australia Recovery
Travis Head and Smith then hit a boundary each off Jansen as they started to build the innings again from scratch. Smith was saved by the “umpire’s call” rule when he moved too far across his wicket to a ball from Jansen that was coming in towards him and hit his pads. This was another close call that kept Smith at the crease.
Jansen then delivered a big blow right before the Lunch break, getting Head caught down the leg-side on what was the very last ball before the break. This wicket meant Australia went into Lunch having lost another key batter, adding to the early struggles on WTC Final Day 1. Despite the setbacks, the second session saw a strong push for Australia Recovery, thanks to the efforts of Smith and Webster. Their partnership not only added crucial runs but also absorbed pressure, setting a platform for the later part of the innings. This ability to recover from difficult situations is a hallmark of top Test teams, and Australia showed it on this Crucial WTC Final 2025 opening day. Australia Recovery
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