Sat. Jun 14th, 2025

SA vs AUS: 14 Wickets Fall on Day 2 of WTC Final 2025

The WTC Final 2025 between South Africa vs Australia is living up the hype of a game of tenacity, pace, and tension. By the end of Day 2, 14 wickets fell for a mere 239 runs as the ball domination and batting ineptitude continued from both sides. After an exhilarating day of cricket in Lord’s, Australia sits at 144/8 in their second innings with a lead of 216 runs. Of course, according to the scoreboard, the match is still quite close, but the scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story. What made Day 2 of the WTC Final so entertaining was the number of wickets that fell, the ebb and flow of the game, and of course, the individual brilliance showcased by both teams.

Morning Session: South Africa's Fightback and Collapse

The day began first thing with South Africa resuming their first innings with Temba Bavuma clearly deciding to play more aggressively. He attacked from ball one knocking a few lovely shots including one pull shot off Pat Cummins that sent the ball racing to the boundary and he slashed a boundary off Mitchell Starc too. For a moment it felt like South Africa had settled their early nerves, and they would soon be in a position to post a respectable total. Together Bavuma and Bedingham by simply playing positive cricket had helped South Africa find a 64-run partnership at the time when they were looking a little shaky.

Cricket is a game of moments and Cummins provided the biggest moment. One sharp catch from Marnus Labuschagne at cover dismissed Bavuma and broke the partnership. That catch not only ended Bavuma’s innings, but set the stage for a collapse. Kyle Verreynne looked too careful in his innings as he singularly did not rotate strike and could not build any pressure on the fielding side. In the end a lovely review from Cummins sent him back to the pavilion, and the floodgates opened.

Cummins was unplayable after lunch and took 4 wickets for 4 runs. South Africa, who looked relatively happy at the crease, were sent packing for just 138 runs. This collapse handed Australia a commanding 74-run lead.

Cummins Creates History

The day was a historic one, with Pat Cummins achieving 300 Test wickets and the 8th Australian bowler to do so. To add to the day, Cummins’ 6/28, became the best figures by a captain at Lord’s, surpassing Bob Willis’ 6/101.

Unfortunately, South Africa now holds the worst team total in a WTC Final innings, replacing India’s 170 vs New Zealand in 2021.

Australia Falters in Reply

Coming out to bat with a healthy lead, Australia would have felt in control, with Usman Khawaja and Labuschagne getting off to a good start. The runs were flowing, and the two looked set to take the game away from South Africa. However, the South Africans had other ideas.

Rabada struck with the wicket of Khawaja, who edged to the keeper. In the very next over, Cameron Green edged a delivery to third slip to be out for a duck. Australia was suddenly 2/28 from a decent start off the first 10 overs.

Labuschagne and Steve Smith looked to settle down, but Labuschagne played a loose shot and they had another breakthrough. Smith, too, was cleaned up by a straight delivery from Ngidi. From 4/66, South Africa was back in the game.

Things were getting worse for Australia with Travis Head and Matt Renshaw going within a short space of time. When Pat Cummins was removed by Ngidi, Australia was reeling at 7/73.

Carey and Starc Counterattack

Just as the game was slipping away from Australia, Alex Carey stepped in and showed composure with aggression. He formed a key partnership with Mitchell Starc, adding 61 runs, providing Australia with the counterattack that brought pressure back on South Africa.

However, the partnership was eventually broken by Rabada when he claimed the wicket of the dangerous left-hander. But the damage had been done, overcoming a collapse to stretch Australia led to beyond 200 runs excluding the last wicket of Jansen.

And in a twist, Marco Jansen dropped a simple chance at the end of the day from Starc, ruled by South Africa.

Match Situation at Stumps

At the end of day two at the WTC Final 2025, Australia were 144/8, with a lead of 216 runs. The match is finely balanced, South Africa looking to wrap up the innings quickly and Australia will want to push past 250 with their remaining two batters.

The pitch has had ample assistance for the bowlers and both teams have been plagued with clusters of wickets in this match.

Key Performers

Pat Cummins: 6/28 in the first innings, reaching the milestone of 300 Test wickets.
Kagiso Rabada: Broke Australia’s top order and continues to be a threat.
Alex Carey: Counterattacked with a valuable 45 and helped Australia stretch the lead.
Lungi Ngidi: Bounced back with important middle-order wickets.

What to Expect on Day 3

With Australia already ahead by over 200 runs after two days of play, Day 3 is sure to be a critical day. If Starc and Lyon can add another 30-40 runs, then surely the target becomes beastly for the South Africa batting group. Conversely, if South Africa can wrap up the innings quickly, the chase will still be on and a somewhat attainable score will be available to chase.

There is no rain forecast, so we’re likely to get a full day of play. The conditions will only be changing as they transition into Day 3, and with good swing and seam movements, it is still a great environment for pacers and a disaster for batters. Every run will be like gold dust and every wicket will be paramount.

Conclusion

The WTC Final 2025 between SA vs AUS is at a critical stage of the match. The Test match has delivered everything you would wish to see – pace, drama, milestones, and unpredictability. Although Australia has a slight advantage having posted a lead of 216 runs, the game is very much live. Day 3, will essentially now determine the winner of this World Test Championship cycle.

As it stands, both teams have demonstrated magical moments and have both shown signs of vulnerability, and the team that manages pressure best from now will be the winner. With a total of 14 wickets falling on Day 2, we are set to resume this incredible cricketing drama from a great position!