The WTC Final Bowlers Battle at Lord’s continued with thrilling action on Day 2. Just like the first day, another 14 wickets fell, bringing the total number of wickets taken over six sessions (two days) to a staggering 28. This shows how much the bowlers have controlled the game so far.
For two hours in the middle of Day 2, Australia seemed to have a strong grip on the match. They had taken a 74-run lead in the first innings. Many thought they had “one hand on the WTC mace” – a way of saying they were in a winning position for the World Test Championship trophy. WTC Final Bowlers Battle
For the next two hours, South Africa fought very hard to “prise their fingers from it,” trying to take control back. Then, for the hour after that, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc fought off the South African attack with a crucial 61-run partnership for the eighth wicket. WTC Final Bowlers Battle
As Day 2 ended, Australia still held a slight advantage. It was a truly gripping day of Test cricket, defined by the constant WTC Final Bowlers Battle. WTC Final Bowlers Battle
Cummins’s Dominance in South Africa’s First Innings
South Africa had started Day 2 on 43 runs for 4 wickets, still 169 runs behind Australia’s first innings score of 212. They had been scoring very slowly on Day 1.
Temba Bavuma had struggled overnight, scoring only 3 runs off 37 balls. But he showed much more energy and initiative on the second morning. He hit two beautiful lofted drives in Mitchell Starc’s second over of the day and seemed to be finding his rhythm. WTC Final Bowlers Battle
Bavuma was on 17 when he was given out (LBW) off a delivery from Josh Hazlewood that sharply moved in and hit his back pad. He seemed reluctant to review the decision, but he did. To everyone’s surprise, including Bavuma’s, the replay technology (Snicko) showed an “inside-edge” (the ball hit his bat before his pad), so the decision was overturned. WTC Final Bowlers Battle
Bavuma then continued to hit Hazlewood and Starc over the fielders and even pulled Pat Cummins for a six into the stands. His batting looked increasingly confident.
His partnership with David Bedingham grew to 64 runs. It took a moment of “magic in the field” to break this strong pair. Bavuma drove a ball from Cummins into the air and to the right of Marnus Labuschagne, who dived full length at cover and caught it with both hands. This amazing catch ended Bavuma’s innings.
Controversy and Collapse
Bavuma’s dismissal made South Africa go back into a defensive mode. Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne scored a nervous 17 runs in the next 52 balls, and both looked like they might get out.
There was a moment of controversy when Bedingham edged a ball from Beau Webster onto the flap of his pad. Alex Carey tried to take a catch, and the ball bounced into and out of Bedingham’s pad flap. At that moment, Bedingham reached for the ball and dropped it near his foot.
Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith immediately started appealing for “obstructing the field” (where a batter intentionally stops the ball). There was some excitement, but the umpires decided the ball was “dead” (the play was over for that delivery). Bedingham reacted by hitting the very next ball, a half-volley, for a four. South Africa went to lunch on 121 runs for 5 wickets, still 91 runs behind.
More drama happened after the break. Cummins hit Verreynne on the pad as he moved across the stumps. The ball then bounced off his pads to fine leg. Verreynne tried to run, but Cummins turned to appeal for LBW, and they collided. At the same time, a throw came in, creating a chance for a run-out.
Cummins asked for a review on the LBW, and replays suggested the ball would have hit the leg stump. Three balls later, Marco Jansen gave Cummins a simple catch back to the bowler. At 126 for 7 wickets, South Africa was in complete disarray.
Cummins’s Milestones and South Africa’s Recovery
Cummins completed his “five-for” (five wickets in an innings) when he had Bedingham caught behind off a thin edge three overs later. He then took his 300th Test wicket when Rabada hit a pull shot to Webster at deep square leg.
Cummins finished with incredible bowling figures of 6 wickets for just 28 runs. His performance included six maiden overs (overs where no runs were scored) out of 18.1 overs bowled, with hardly any bad deliveries. Crucially, he gave Australia an important lead that could play a decisive role in the game’s outcome.
The same could be said about South Africa’s collapse. They lost 5 wickets for only 12 runs in just 35 balls. Australia had lost 5 wickets for 20 runs around the same time on Day 1, showing the similar struggles faced by both teams in the WTC Final Bowlers Battle.
Australia’s Second Innings Begins – The Fightback
South Africa came out looking a bit flat at the start of Australia’s second innings. Labuschagne took seven runs off Rabada’s first over. Both Rabada and Jansen bowled three no-balls (illegal deliveries) in the first four overs, which is unusual.
However, they soon found their rhythm. Rabada hit Labuschagne on the pad in his third over and then got him to edge the ball (a slight touch with the bat).
In the next over, Jansen thought he had Khawaja caught behind. Bavuma used a review, but it was wasted as replays showed “daylight between bat and ball” (no touch). Things didn’t start happening for South Africa until the 11th over.
For the second time in the match, Rabada took two wickets in one over, against the same two batters. Khawaja was caught behind trying to hit a ball outside his off-stump, and Cameron Green edged the ball to third slip. Smith tried to calm things down with a straight drive that went for four runs. Australia went to tea on 32 for 2 wickets, leading by 106 runs.
Second Innings Mayhem and Carey-Starc Resistance
Just like on Day 1, the evening session could be described in one word: “mayhem.” Jansen bowled a very long spell (many overs) before and after the Tea break. He was into his eighth over when he bowled a full ball to Labuschagne, who edged it behind.
At this point, Khawaja, Labuschagne, and Green, Australia’s top three batters, had collectively scored only 49 runs in the entire match. This was their worst combined score since 1890, showing how much the bowlers dominated this WTC Final Bowlers Battle.
Then came Lungi Ngidi. After three unremarkable overs after tea, he bowled a full and straight ball. Smith missed it and was hit on the back pad. Bavuma was convinced to review the decision again, and this time it was successful. Ngidi then hit Webster on the back pad with a ball that swung in, and the number 6 batter reviewed unsuccessfully.
In the next over, Wiaan Mulder bowled a ball that beat Travis Head’s inside-edge, bounced off his pads, and hit the stumps. Then came the best delivery of the evening: Ngidi’s perfect yorker (a fast, full ball right at the base of the stumps) to Cummins. It hit the middle and off stumps heavily, bowling the Australian captain. Australia was now struggling at 73 for 7 wickets.
South Africa’s Missed Chances and Australia’s Lead
But just when South Africa might have started to “sniff something special” (think they could win easily), their momentum slowed down. Carey and Starc then formed a crucial 61-run partnership for the eighth wicket. They scored runs at a good pace (4.31 runs per over).
Before the end of the day, Rabada had one last impact. He bowled a ball from “around the wicket” (bowling from the non-striker’s side) that moved back into Carey, trapping him LBW. This over by Rabada was also full of no-balls. In total, Rabada bowled five no-balls on the day, and South Africa had bowled an astonishing 19 no-balls in the match.
South Africa will surely be worried about the no-balls, and also about what “could have been” in the final over. Jansen dropped Starc at “gully” (a fielding position) off Mulder’s bowling, on the third-last ball of the day. By then, South Africa had moved their fielders closer to the bat, as several balls had landed short. Jansen’s attempts to catch were not as successful as they had been on Day 1.
Australia will go into Day 3 with a lead of 218 runs and still have two wickets remaining. The WTC Final Bowlers Battle continues to be a gripping and unpredictable contest, with both teams fighting hard for every run and every wicket.
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