June 12, 2025
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Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Bowlers dominate as 14 wickets fall on Day 1 at Lord's | Cricket News

Australia vs South Africa WTC Final: Bowlers dominate as 14 wickets fall on Day 1 at Lord’s | Cricket News

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Kagiso Rabada’s 5/51 stole the show on Day 1 at Lord’s in the WTC Final (Image via AP /Kirsty Wigglesworth) Australia fought back against South Africa on day one of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, London on Wednesday. After being bowled out for 212 with Kagiso Rabada taking 5-51, Australia’s Mitchell Starc led a bowling comeback that left South Africa struggling at 43-4 at stumps, trailing by 169 runs.The match began with South Africa captain Temba Bavuma winning the toss and choosing to bowl in overcast conditions favorable for bowling. Rabada quickly put Australia in trouble at 16-2, dismissing both Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in a single over.Rabada, returning to Test cricket after serving a one-month ban for cocaine use, demonstrated his prowess by taking two wickets for just four runs in four balls. The 30-year-old pace bowler now has over 300 Test wickets to his name. Marnus Labuschagne, Australia’s latest opener following David Warner’s retirement, managed 17 off 56 balls before falling to Marco Jansen. Travis Head could only score 11 before being caught by Kyle Verreynne off Jansen’s bowling. Bold prediction! Astrologer Greenstone Lobo picks winner of Australia vs South Africa WTC Final 2025 Steve Smith and Beau Webster helped stabilize the Australian innings with a crucial 79-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Webster, who scored 72, had a lucky escape when he would have been lbw to Rabada on 8 had South Africa reviewed the decision. Smith reached his fifty but eventually fell for 66 to part-time spinner Aiden Markram, caught by Jansen at slip. Australia’s innings quickly unraveled as they lost their final five wickets for just 20 runs, with Rabada finishing with figures of 5-51.In response, South Africa’s batting struggled against Australia’s pace attack. Starc removed Markram for a duck and dismissed Ryan Rickelton for 16, reducing South Africa to 19-2. Poll Who do you think will win the World Test Championship final? Wiaan Mulder, batting at number three, survived an early chance when wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped a straightforward catch off Starc. However, Mulder only managed to score six runs from 44 balls before being bowled by Pat Cummins.Bavuma took 31 balls to get off the mark, scoring a two off Josh Hazlewood that drew cheers from South African supporters. Hazlewood later claimed the wicket of Tristan Stubbs before the close of play. South Africa trail Australia by 169 runs at the end of day 1 (Image via X) At stumps, David Bedingham remained unbeaten on eight, having hit consecutive boundaries off Cummins in the final over. Bavuma was not out on three, with South Africa facing an uphill battle to match Australia’s first innings total.The match situation mirrors Australia’s position in the 2023 final against India at the Oval, where they recovered from early trouble through centuries from Smith and Head to win the match.

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WTC Final: 'Means a lot' - South African pacer Kagiso Rabada after surpassing Allan Donald | Cricket News

WTC Final: ‘Means a lot’ – South African pacer Kagiso Rabada after surpassing Allan Donald | Cricket News

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Kagiso Rabada eclipses Allan Donald’s wicket tally with his five-wicket haul on the first day of the WTC final (Image via X/@ProteasMenCSA & Houseof_Cricket) South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada achieved a significant milestone on Day 1 of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, surpassing Allan Donald to become South Africa’s fourth-highest Test wicket-taker. His impressive figures of 5/51 helped bowl out Australia for 212 on Wednesday, marking several records at the historic venue.Rabada now has 332 wickets in 71 Tests, moving past Donald’s 330 wickets in 72 matches on South Africa’s all-time Test wicket-takers list. “Means a lot to get past Allan Donald, what a legend. Primary is to keep running in and doing the job,” Rabada said after his performance.“Coming here about a week ago, could already feel the atmosphere. Great to see the support for us. Feels like a home game. Means a lot to play for South Africa. Given my all each and every time. Happy to do the job,” he added. Kagiso Rabada is now fourth in the list of all-time highest wicket takers for South Africa in Tests (Image via X) Discussing the playing conditions, Rabada shared his insights, saying, “It was moving around a bit. With the new ball it seemed harder to score. As the ball got softer and they showed intent, they got some runs away. But you always felt that, on this wicket, especially with the way they were playing, any ball had their name on it.” Bold prediction! Astrologer Greenstone Lobo picks winner of Australia vs South Africa WTC Final 2025 The fast bowler became only the second player to claim a five-wicket haul in a World Test Championship final, following New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson’s achievement against India in 2021. He also joined Jacques Kallis as only the second South African bowler to take five wickets in a major ICC tournament final. Kallis had taken 5/30 in the 1998 ICC Knockout Trophy final.Rabada’s performance in ICC knockout matches has been consistently impressive, with 11 wickets in five matches at an average of 19.27. This places him third on South Africa’s all-time list of wicket-takers in ICC knockouts, behind Jacques Kallis (14) and level with Shaun Pollock and Allan Donald (12 each).Lord’s has proven to be a successful venue for Rabada. In three Tests at the ground, he has claimed 18 wickets at an average of 16.83 and a strike rate of 30.2. Poll Is Kagiso Rabada South Africa’s best fast bowler of all time? His latest performance made him the South African with the most Test wickets at Lord’s, surpassing Morne Morkel’s 15 wickets.Rabada also became the third South African bowler to achieve multiple five-wicket hauls at Lord’s, joining Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini in this elite group.

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WTC Final: 'Kagiso Rabada will be a massive threat' - South Africa players ahead of Australia clash | Cricket News

WTC Final: ‘Kagiso Rabada will be a massive threat’ – South Africa players ahead of Australia clash | Cricket News

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South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada celebrates with his teammates ( AP/PTI) South African cricketers Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, Aiden Markram, and Tristan Stubbs have praised their teammate Kagiso Rabada as the world’s best bowler ahead of the World Test Championship final against Australia on June 11. Currently ranked second in the ICC Men’s Test Bowling Rankings behind Jasprit Bumrah, Rabada’s teammates expressed their confidence in his abilities at Lord’s.Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne, speaking exclusively to the ICC before the World Test Championship decider, emphasized Rabada’s status in world cricket.“KG’s the best bowler in the world. Without a doubt, he’s the best bowler in the world and I think he’s one of those guys that always wants to do it on the big stage and you don’t get any stages bigger than this, so I think he’s going to be massive for us,” Verreynne stated.Verreynne, who witnessed Rabada’s five-wicket haul at Lord’s previously, shared his unique perspective as a wicketkeeper.“Any game that he plays in, any team that he plays for, KG with the Proteas badge, and I think especially in white kit, is a different beast. I know how much Test cricket means to him and I know how much he loves this current team and this space, so putting all of those things into his performance, I think he’ll be a massive threat,” he added. Major League Cricket: Liam Plunkett on how cricket can boom in the USA David Bedingham expressed his admiration for Rabada’s previous success at Lord’s.“I genuinely think he’s the best bowler in the world. He’s played here (Lord’s), he’s taken wickets here before, so him going well will go a long way to us winning the whole thing. He’s an amazing person… and he makes our jobs a lot easier. He’s the leader of our attack,” Bedingham said.Opener Aiden Markram highlighted Rabada’s leadership qualities and ability to perform in crucial moments.“(Rabada) gets up for the really big moments. He wants to lead from the front and he takes a lot of guys with him on that journey. So, obviously a big player for us, but he’s (also) been complemented really well in the bowling department by everyone else and they’ve, sort of, found a way to work really well together. No doubt he’s the leader of the attack, but he pulls guys with him and guys tend to follow,” Markram explained.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Rabada’s previous performance at Lord’s was noteworthy, taking 5/52 in the first innings and seven wickets in total during South Africa’s victory over England in August 2022.Markram recalled the intense atmosphere during that match.“I remember the wicket was quite busy. We were in the slip cordon and we were on edge the whole time, because it felt like every ball you could get a catch. But, (Rabada) bowled really well. He used the (Lord’s) slope and various angles really well, broke partnerships when there was a partnership to break and did what he does… so special to have been on the field,” Markram said.Batter Tristan Stubbs also expressed his confidence in Rabada’s form.“He’s an amazing bowler and he’s fresh and ready to go, I’m happy he’s on my team,” Stubbs told ICC Digital.

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WTC Final: Steve Smith vs Kagiso Rabada takes centre stage; who is favourite to prevail at Lord’s? | Cricket News

WTC Final: Steve Smith vs Kagiso Rabada takes centre stage; who is favourite to prevail at Lord’s? | Cricket News

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Steve Smith and Kagiso Rabada As Australia and South Africa gear up for the ICC World Test Championship final at Lord’s, cricket fans are eagerly anticipating the battle between Australian batting star Steve Smith and South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada. Australia aims to defend their WTC mace from 2023, while South Africa seeks their first world cricket title.The head-to-head statistics between Smith and Rabada reveal an intriguing contest. In 15 innings, Smith has scored 128 runs off Rabada’s bowling, facing 262 balls. Rabada has dismissed Smith four times, with Smith maintaining an average of 48.85 and a strike rate of 32.00 against him. Smith has hit 16 fours and two sixes while playing 207 dot balls against Rabada.Both players have impressive records at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Rabada boasts the best average of 19.38 among all bowlers in the final, surpassing Australian pacers Pat Cummins (21.10), Josh Hazlewood (26.15), and Mitchell Starc (33.62). In his two Tests at the venue, Rabada has claimed 13 wickets with best figures of 5/52. Bombay Sport Exchange Ep. 6: Harish Thawani on cricket’s TV market and the watershed moments Smith has demonstrated exceptional performance at Lord’s, accumulating 525 runs in five Tests across nine innings at an average of 58.33. His record includes two centuries and two fifties, with his most recent innings being a knock of 110 against England in the 2023 Ashes.Smith enters the final in tremendous form, having recently completed 10,000 runs and scored four centuries in his last five Tests against India and Sri Lanka. His record in ICC knockout matches is particularly notable, with 584 runs in 12 matches at an average of 58.40, including two centuries and four fifties.Rabada stands on the verge of significant milestones in Test cricket. With 327 Test wickets at an average of 22.00, including 16 five-wicket hauls, he needs just four more wickets to surpass Allan Donald’s record of 330 wickets and become South Africa’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in Tests.Quiz: Who’s that IPL player?Dale Steyn holds the record for most Test wickets for South Africa with 439 wickets in 93 Tests, maintaining an average of 22.95 and claiming 26 five-wicket hauls.In international cricket across all formats, Rabada currently has 566 wickets in 241 appearances, with an average of 24.27 and 18 five-wicket hauls. He needs seven more wickets to overtake Jacques Kallis, who holds the fifth position with 572 wickets.Shaun Pollock leads South Africa’s all-time international wicket-takers list with 823 wickets in 414 matches, achieved at an average of 23.63 with 21 five-wicket hauls.Rabada’s performance in ICC knockout events includes six wickets in four matches, maintaining an average of 26.83 with best figures of 2/14 and an economy rate of 7.00.The upcoming WTC final presents an opportunity for both players to enhance their already impressive records and potentially play decisive roles in their teams’ pursuit of the championship title.

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