South Africa, incredibly, have won the World Test Championship.
Proteas opener Aiden Markram delivered a match-winning knock of 136 following just over three days of carnage at Lord’s.
It was a remarkable flipping of the script from Markram given he came to the crease on a pair.
But when he stroked Josh Hazlewood to the boundary for four in the penultimate over of day three, it seemed even the South Africans were believing in a world where they finally shook their perennial choker tag.
And to think the morning session of day three only went the way of Australia it seemingly put the game well out of reach of their opponents.
After Kagiso Rabada trapped Nathan Lyon (2) in the third over to claim his 9th for the match they were frustrated for the best part of two hours. Australia, who had been 73/7 were finally bowled out for 207, a lead of 281, with Hazlewood (17) and Mitchell Starc (58*) putting on 63 for the 10th wicket.
Only wildly optimistic Proteas fans would have been heartened by the ease in which Australia’s tail had wagged especially after they lost Ryan Rickelton early in slightly strange circumstances with the umpires, and batter, feeling he’d bumped balled a yorker from Starc into the slip cordon, the 3rd umpire disagreed and sent him on his way.
That brought in Wiaan Mulder (27). It’s not an exaggeration to suggest he may never bat at three in Test cricket again but he looked more assured than in the first innings and importantly more proactive at the crease.
Despite being beaten on a couple of occasions he tried to get onto the front foot, pushing the ball through the covers to keep the scoreline ticking along.
Nathan Lyon was brought into the attack in the 11th over and immediately got sharp yet slow turn. And while Pat Cummins started to exploit uneven bounce they were still favourites.
Australia then suffered two bits of bad luck from one ball, one of which cruelly robbed them of Steve Smith’s services for the remainder of the match and possibly for the upcoming West Indies tour the other gave Bavuma a life on two.
With numerous chances dropping short of the slips he was positioned so close to the batter he needed a helmet. It meant when the ball came it did so horribly quickly.
Smith went off after he suffered a compound fracture in his right fingerICC via GettyBavuma was on just two, the bowler Starc got the outside edge which flew to Smith who tried cupping both hands in front of his face to take the catch but the end result was ugly.
His finger took the ball on the flush and dropped safe. Smith awkwardly fell to the floor and immediately signalled his distress. Not only was he in pain, his little finger on his left hand was horribly bent.
He walked from the field grimacing and with the look of a man who knew something far more serious than a clean dislocation had occurred. Word reached the press box he’d gone to hospital with a compound dislocation. A horrible end to his Test.
Other moments then started to go South Africa’s way.
There was the sharply turning ball that span out the footmarks past the inside edge of Bavuma’s cover drive back past the stumps and down to the boundary at fine leg for four.
The top edged sweep from the same batter that led to the 100 run partnership that bounced just short of Sam Konstas running in from the square leg boundary that whistled past the fielder and away for four more.
Markram’s stunning century in the second innings steered the Proteas to victoryICC via GettyAll of this with Bavuma nursing an injury of his own. A left hamstring problem meaning singles were possible, two’s only just so, and threes out of the question.
At tea the Test match was still tilted Australia’s way, at stumps it had pivoted the other way.
What an innings of class from Markram. What an innings of bravery from Bavuma. And suddenly after two days where 28 wickets fell it seemed like Australia’s much vaunted attack were running out of steam, patience and ideas to go with their earlier misfortune.
The sight of Markram holding his bat aloft as a 28,000 strong crowd got to their feet will live long in the memory.
Saturday proved to be nothing more than a delay to the inevitable, as South Africa prevailed to become World Test Championship kings.
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