The final of the ICC World Test Championship between Australia and South Africa is being played at Lord’s, England. On the first day of the match, both teams’ batters struggled significantly. The South African bowlers initially wreaked havoc on the Australian batsmen, followed by strong bowling from the Australian bowlers.
In particular, Mitchell Starc bowled exceptionally well, not only troubling the batsmen but also restricting the flow of runs. Additionally, Starc made history by breaking the record previously held by India’s fast bowler Mohammed Shami by taking 2 wickets on the first day.
Frames from a gripping opening day of the Ultimate Test at Lord's 📸🥵#SAvAUS #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/sHyplzkfxT
— ICC (@ICC) June 11, 2025
Mitchell Starc creates history
On the first day, Mitchell Starc wreaked havoc on the South African batsmen. He took 2 crucial wickets for just 10 runs in 7 overs. Starc dismissed Aiden Markram in the very first over, and shortly after, when Ryan Rickelton fell, Starc surpassed Mohammed Shami’s record. Starc is now the highest wicket-taking bowler in the finals of ICC tournaments, with 11 wickets in 6 innings. Previously, Mohammed Shami held this record with 10 wickets.
Summary of the Day-1
Batting first, Australia’s innings ended at 212 runs. On the first day, Steve Smith scored 66 runs and Marnus Labuschagne (likely what you meant by “Bewshter”) scored 72. Alex Carey contributed 23 runs. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada took 5 wickets, while Marco Jansen claimed 3 wickets.
South Africa’s start in their first innings was also poor. By the end of the first day, they had lost 4 wickets for just 43 runs. The dismissed batsmen included Aiden Markram (0), Ryan Rickelton (16), Dean Elgar (6 — assuming “Wiaan Mulder” is a typo), and Tristan Stubbs (2). Currently, captain Temba Bavuma is at the crease with 3 runs, and David Bedingham is on 8 runs.
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