Wickets galore on Day 1 of the WTC final between South Africa and Australia

By Canadian Press on June 11, 2025.

LONDON (AP) — Australia overcame a miserable morning to rock South Africa back on its heels by the end of day one of the World Test Championship at Lord’s on Wednesday.

Ball dominated bat all day as 14 wickets fell on a slow pitch for 255 runs.

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada took 5-51 and new-ball partner Marco Jansen 3-49 to brilliantly rout the defending champion for 212, the last five wickets for just 22 runs.

But even in the baking sunshine, the Australia pacers were even more potent. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins strangled the Proteas batters to 43-4 in 22 overs by stumps.

The trickle of runs made Beau Webster’s 72 and Steve Smith’s 66 even more remarkable. They were the only batters all day to score more than 23.

Australia’s 212 total looked to be below par until its fast bowlers made it look imperious.

Starc got Aiden Markram to chop on for a duck in the first over of South Africa’s reply. Starc got the other opener, Ryan Rickelton, to edge to slips on 16.

Starc should have had a third cheap wicket, Wiaan Mulder on 1, but wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped a sitter.

Mulder dug in for 44 balls to make 6 when he opened up to drive at Cummins and was bowled through the gate at 25-3. In the same over, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma defended and edged Cummins but the ball dropped just short of Usman Khawaja in the slips.

Bavuma would reach stumps on 3 off 37 balls but without Tristan Stubbs, who was bowled on 3 by Hazlewood.

David Bedingham finished the day with consecutive boundaries, only his team’s fourth and fifth of a bleak innings.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Foster Niumata, The Associated Press