Temba Bavuma & Aiden Markram Lead South Africa Close To WTC Final 2025 Victory
Aiden Markram's tremendous century has brought South Africa very close to victory against Australia in the final of the World Test Championship 2025. By the end of the third day at Lord's, South Africa had scored 213 runs at the loss of 2 wickets in their second innings. The team now needs just 69 runs to win, and they still have 8 wickets left in their hand. Markram was unbeaten on 102, while on the other side captain Temba Bavuma remained on the field despite being injured scoring 65 runs. Both players shared a 143-run partnership without losing wickets to put the team in a strong position. This run chase could be the second-greatest successful run chase in the history of Lord's. Earlier, the biggest win was in 1984, when the West Indies achieved the target of 342 runs against England.
It's a special moment for South Africa, as their last ICC title came in 1998. For a long time, the team has been weak under pressure in big matches, but this time, like always, fans are excited and came in a large amount to support their team. So the fans are still not excited about winning, for sure. "Aiden's century and his partnership with Temba are very special, but the job is not done yet," said Ashwell Prince, the team's batting coach. ”
The Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder said that the players' attitude had changed in this innings. In the first innings, the team scored just 138 runs, but this time the players are playing without fear. "We thought that whatever happens, we have to go for the win. There was less fear now. For Australia, Mitchell Starc performed brilliantly with both ball and bat. He scored an unbeaten 58 in the second innings and then took two wickets with his fast bowling. Starc gave a tough fight to the Proteas batsmen.
Australia's team was in trouble on the second day, but Starc and Hazlewood shared a 59-run partnership for the last wicket to make the team struggle. Starc's innings was the 11th half-century of his Test career. The pitch at Lord's is looking more favorable for the batsmen, and that is why the performance of the batsmen is getting better. Markram targeted the bowlers with excellent drives and pull shots.
Temba Bavuma, who was injured, also showed courage and completed his half-century in 83 balls. Due to the hard work of both batsmen, South Africa has reached close to victory. In this match, Kagiso Rabada took 4 wickets and took 9 wickets in total to put his team in a strong position. The match is not completely over yet, but the South African team has moved firmly to win big. Fans hope that soon the Proteas team will end their long wait by winning that title.