WTC Final 2025: Australia Bounce Back Strong After South Africa Bowlers Wreak Havoc at Lord's on Day 1 of Test Match

The first day of the WTC Final 2025 one-off Test match between Australia and South Africa was primarily a day for the bowlers, as 14 wickets fell before the close of play on Wednesday (June 11). South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss and, buoyed by conditions that were slightly overcast at the start, opted to bowl first against conventional Test cricket wisdom. However, it was a decision that stood vindicated in the end. 

Kagiso Rabada took a five-wicket haul in the first innings as Australia folded for just 212. But they struck back hard through Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood as the fearsome pace trio combined to wrest some degree of control back from the Proteas. 

South Africa ended the day 43-4 vs Australia, still trailing by 169 runs and having lost their top order barring skipper Bavuma relatively cheap. 

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Bavuma's Grit Shines Through

The skipper, whose gritty approach to batting has worked best in Test cricket, was at his best in the face of some fiery pace bowling from the Aussies. 

It started with Mitchell Starc, who managed to get rid of Aiden Markram in the first over of the innings when he got him to edge one back onto the stumps. 

Ryan Rickelton was the next to depart when he edged a Starc delivery to Usman Khawaja in the slips, who gobbled up the catch with ease. 

Cummins then bowled a ripper of an in-swinger to get rid of Wiann Mulder clean bowled and Hazlewood produced a similar ball to castle Tristan Stubbs. 

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Rabada Runs Through Aussie Batters

It continued a theme of the day being a good one for the bowlers as Rabada had a field day with the new Dukes ball in the first innings. 

He got an early double strike to get rid of Khawaja and then Cameron Green, while Marco Jansen accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head. 

Steve Smith and Beau Webster offered up some resistance and both managed half-centuries, but their dismissal as well as that of Alex Carey opened the floodgates. 

Australia went from 146-4 to 212 all out. Yet thanks to the good showings of their own bowlers, they are somehow in with a chance of taking a first innings lead if things go well on Day 2.