Australia captain Pat Cummins registered 6/28, the best figures by a captain at Lord’s, to take the game away from South Africa.
David Bedingham and Kyle Verreynne came out to continue batting after the extended lunch break, and Pat Cummins opened the bowling for Australia.
Big Match PAT!
The Australian captain came out with a plan and dismissed Kyle Verreynne, trapping him LBW for 13 (39) as the Aussies opened the session with a wicket. As one brings two, Marco Jansen was the next to be dismissed with a length delivery, and Pat Cummins caught him off his own bowling. The tide suddenly turned in Australia’s favor as their captain got 2 wickets in an over.
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South Africa were on the brink of collapse, but Bedingham kept the scoreboard ticking. However, it was Pat Cummins once again with his hard length using the old ball, who dismissed Bedingham—he edged one to Alex Carey and walked back to the dressing room with 45 (111). With this wicket, Pat Cummins completed his 5-wicket haul and became the second-ever captain to achieve this feat at Lord’s.
Adding more insult to injury, Keshav Maharaj got run out by Travis Head. Maharaj, who tried to sneak in a quick two, couldn’t complete the second run in time as Travis Head’s gun throw was on point and Alex Carey completed the rest of the formalities to dismiss the spinner.
Record 6/28 at Lords for Cummins
Pat Cummins didn’t waste any time as he knocked out the one remaining wicket—that of Kagiso Rabada with a short ball, and South Africa were dismissed for 138 in 58.1 overs. South Africa managed to add only 12 runs with the loss of 5 wickets after the lunch break, courtesy of Pat Cummins' 6-wicket haul at Lord’s.
Pat Cummins once again proved why he’s the best captain currently—came out with a plan with a low score on the board, trusted his line and length, and got a 6/28, career-best figure by a captain at Lord’s, and left the field with a lead of 74 runs.
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As the second innings began, Australian openers made their way into the middle after the innings break. As Kagiso Rabada began his bowling, it was a similar story to that of the first innings. The ball was moving, and Usman Khawaja was on his back foot, whereas Marnus Labuschagne ticked the scoreboard. A steady start from the Aussie batters despite being troubled by Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada on multiple occasions. Australia survived the first 10 overs without losing wickets and scored 28 runs on the board.
Also Read: WTC final 2025: Kagiso Rabada May Face Sledging Over ‘Drug Ban’, Warns Former South Africa Cricketer
Kagiso Rabada Ignites the Fight back
As the session was coming to an end with 2 overs left, Kagiso Rabada was given one last over by Bavuma before tea and it was deja-vu as he dismissed Usman Khawaja first for 6 (23) and Cameron Green for a 2-ball duck in the same over. Both the Aussie batters were beaten by the lateral swing, and out of nowhere, Australia were two wickets down for 28 runs at the end of Session 2 on Day 2.
This session belongs to Australia as they picked up 5 wickets, but South Africa were right behind them despite trailing by 109 runs, as they got two big wickets before going out for tea. This session had 47 runs with the loss of 7 wickets. It was unlikely conditions at Lord’s with the sun out. The game is still evenly poised, and if South Africa are able to wrap things up quickly, a target of anything under 220 is pretty chaseable at Lord’s. Stay tuned for the end-of-day highlights.
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