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45th over: Australia 156-9 (Starc 25, Hazlewood 1) Four for Starc! Off the edge, along the ground past gully. So South Africa take the gully out. I don’t like this at all from Rabada. He has two slips, himself at mid off, and six players deep. Starc has barely played a shot in anger and he’s facing the best bowler in the South African team. Surely you should go hard at him and back Rabada to get him out?
“Hello Geoff,” writes Matthew Doherty. “Do you think Australia will cobble enough runs today for a 250 run target for South Africa to chase?”
Starc has done that kind of job many times before, but even what they have right now will be a testing chase.
Rabada finishes the over by beating Starc’s edge.
44th over: Australia 152-9 (Starc 21, Hazlewood 1) What do I know? Starc calmly steers a single. Perhaps telling Hazlewood that he should be able to cope with Wiaan Mulder’s pace. That was a no-ball, too. He does a bit off the surface though, Mulder, right arm around the wicket to the two lefties. Gets it to deck in. Hazlewood blocks two. We’ve got a convetnional first slip, then a close second slip wearing a helmet, and a fine gully. None of them are in the play, though, as Hazlewood prods into a gap at midwicket and lopes off for a run. The Lopez Brothers, this batting pair. Starc drives one to cover. All these runs hurt South Africa. The lead is 226. Hazlewood turns down a run last ball though. Interesting. So they want Starc to handle Rabada.
43rd over: Australia 148-9 (Starc 19, Hazlewood 0) The over started with Starc swinging hard at a drive, down the ground for two. Then another for one, then the Lyon wicket. Hazlewood blocks out a couple, swishes at another. Survives the over. Time for Starc to have a dip, one thinks. He has the third highest score in the innings.
WICKET! Lyon lbw Rabada 2 (Australia 148-9)
Oh, yes! Nine for Rabada. Up the hill, seams in at Lyon a touch and nails him on the knee roll, front leg right in front. It’s not bouncing over on this wicket. A quick decision from the umpire, and the Australian review is in vain.
42nd over: Australia 145-8 (Starc 16, Lyon 2) Mulder from the other end, who had the catch dropped in the final over last night. He’s got the Pavilion at his back. Bright sunshine. Lyon confidently forward to defend. Lots of South African shirts on the walk into the ground today, they want this bad. The ICC Knockout of 1998 is a long time ago.
41st over: Australia 145-8 (Starc 16, Lyon 2) Rabada to start the day – he has three wickets, so the five-for and the ten-wicket match are still on if he can bag the last two. Doesn’t happen this over though, Lyon comfortably working a single square from the first ball of the day, and the left-handed Starc happy to leave the stuff angled across him.
Let’s get into some cricket…
And lastly, Andy Bull, on Temba Bavuma as leader of the South Africans.
This is mine, with the Australian perspective on Pat Cummins’ remarkable day, and what influence a certain member of the nouveau landed gentry might have had.
Here’s Simon Burnton with the press conference reporting, where David ‘Bedding In’ Bedingham is upbeat about knocking off the Aussies.
Let’s start our day as ever with the match report from the tirelessly match-reporting Ali Martin.
Preamble
Geoff Lemon
Hello for the final time from Lord’s for this World Test Championship final. Yes, it’s only Day 3, but surely, surely, this Test finishes today.
The sun is shining bright and the forecast is the best for the week. Australia have only Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Josh Hazlewood to bat, in a match where wickets have fallen readily. They lead by 218 right now. So unless there is an extraordinary partnership, South Africa will either chase the runs today or be bowled out trying.
On the evidence of their first innings, “bowled out trying” is the likelier option. They were all out for 138 and looked nowhere against Australia’s pace quality. But they have the chance to do better, to say that they are here and ready to compete. It’s only the third day, after all! Good for batting.
But first, they need those last two wickets. They dropped Starc in the cordon last night, just before stumps. Can’t be doing that. For Australia, sneaking another 10, 20, 30 runs for the final two wickets could make all the difference.
Get set.
