Updated 11 June 2025 at 19:30 IST
The WTC Final 2025 between Australia and South Africa got off to a frantic start after the Proteas captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and opted to field first. Many questioned whether or not the call was the right one given it meant South Africa would now have to bat last. But they managed to make some early breakthroughs and got 4 wickets in the first session of the day.
However, in the second session there was a significant fightback posted by Beau Webster and Steve Smith. The two batters looked to blunt the Proteas pacers and this led to a bit of desparation on behalf of Bavuma, as he took not one but two bad reviews in quick succession.
But perhaps the worst one came when he was trying to get rid of Webster.
The incident came in the 38th over when Lungi Ngidi belatedly appealed for an LBW and Bavuma surprisingly went for the review.
The reason it was surprising was because the bowler showed little interest and the appeals came largely from the slips.
Bavuma went for it anyway and the replays showed that the ball was hitting Webster's bat as he went for a forward defence.
The crowd were apoplectic at the review and even the South African players looked bemused in the aftermath.
But that wasn't the end of the DRS nightmares as Bavuma was involved in another poor review later on.
Aiden Markram had an LBW appeal turned down against Alex Carey and the skipper duly went for another review.
But the replays suggested that the ball had taken a big edge off the gloves before hitting the pads, therefore losing them yet another review.
Overall, it was a poor day as far as reviews go for the South African skipper.
Published 11 June 2025 at 19:30 IST