Australia appeared poised for a World Test Championship triumph, entering day three with a commanding 218-run lead at Lord’s. With the pitch having already claimed 28 wickets in just two days, and South Africa’s first-innings collapse fresh in memory, a win for the reigning champions felt like a formality. Their formidable pace quartet faced a fragile batting lineup, further weakened when captain Temba Bavuma suffered a hamstring injury. What remained was a matter of time and execution.
The day began with promise for Australia as Kagiso Rabada quickly removed Nathan Lyon, claiming his fourth wicket of the innings and ninth of the match. Yet the tail proved obstinate. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood constructed a gritty 59-run partnership, lasting 135 balls. Starc’s unbeaten 58 his slowest innings of such length was a masterclass in patience and application, frustrating South Africa while adding vital runs. Though Starc hadn’t posted a half-century in six years, his maturity with the bat shone under pressure.
Australia ended with a lead of 281 more than enough, or so it seemed. Starc then made immediate inroads with the ball, removing Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder, reinforcing the sense of inevitability. Bavuma limped on with his torn hamstring, and by then, few would have bet against Australia. Yet cricket thrives on uncertainty.
The pitch, under bright sunshine, began to ease. Contrary to popular belief, chasing at Lord’s in recent seasons had proven feasible, and Australia’s own tail-end resistance hinted at this. As South Africa began their reply, Aiden Markram stood tall. Confident and composed, he punished width and absorbed pressure. Bavuma, though injured, battled on bravely. He survived a sharp chance that not only gave him a life but injured Steve Smith at slip a symbolic twist in Australia’s unraveling dominance.
The partnership blossomed. Markram’s fluency paired with Bavuma’s grit flipped the script. Australia, once in command, now scrambled for answers. The sunlit conditions offered little movement, and the pitch no longer resembled the minefield of earlier days. By stumps, South Africa stood at 213-2, needing just 69 runs to seal one of the most remarkable chases in Test history.
Markram, who began his career with a fourth-innings century against Australia, seemed destined to complete the arc with another this time, perhaps in victory. The match had transformed from a foregone conclusion to a stark reminder of cricket’s core truth: certainty is an illusion. Australia had it won until they didn’t. Now South Africa look set but that, too, could be an illusion.
