World Test Championship: South Africa stay in contention on dramatic Day Two after Australia 5-29 collapse
Australia lead by 218 runs after end of thrilling second day at Lords, finishing 144-8 at Thursday's close; Pat Cummins reaches 300 career Test wickets; watch Day Three of Australia vs South Africa in the World Test Championship final live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10am
Thursday 12 June 2025 19:34, UK
South Africa kept themselves in contention in the World Test Championship final as a mid-innings collapse from Australia helped tee up what is poised to be a dramatic Friday at Lord's.
After being bowled all out for 138 at the conclusion of their first innings to leave them trailing by 74 runs - as Australia captain Pat Cummins took a stunning 6-28 to bring up 300 career Test wickets - South Africa appeared firmly up against it against the defending champions.
But after a steady 2-44 start in the opening stages of their second innings, Australia then crumbled 5-29 in a stunning period of South African bowling that saw the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Beau Webster, Travis Head and then skipper Cummins all fall.
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Teetering at 73-7, Australia managed to rebuild in the final hour through an eighth-wicket partnership of 61 between wicketkeeper Alex Carey (43) and Mitchell Starc (16 not out).
Lungi Ngidi and Kagiso Rabada finished the day with three wickets apiece.
Rabada's final wicket came when he trapped Carey lbw in another twist in the penultimate over at the home of cricket as 14 wickets tumbled for the second straight day.
Australia lead by 218 going into the third and potentially final day at Lord's.
How a topsy-turvy second day played out at Lord's
Australia were in the ascendancy after captain Cummins collected six for 28 to move to exactly 300 Test wickets - becoming the eighth Australian to reach the milestone - with South Africa lurching from 94-4 and 126-5 to 138 all out in reply to 212.
But this Lord's showpiece still hangs in the balance as a Rabada double strike was followed by Ngidi dismissing talisman Smith, plus Webster and Cummins, to leave Australia shell-shocked.
Fortunes continued to fluctuate as Alex Carey's 43 led a brief revival before he was lbw to Rabada late on as Australia closed on 144-9, 218 ahead.
All but three of the 28 wickets so far have fallen to fast bowlers, with plenty of movement through the air and off the pitch to expose the soft underbelly of both batting sides.
Rabada found enough to take the edges of Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green for the second time in the match, while Labuschagne nicked off to Marco Jansen as Australia's makeshift top three failed again.
Smith had led Australia's revival in the first innings at a ground where he has two double hundreds but he was lbw for 13.
He looked to have shuffled enough to off but threw his head back in despair when a review showed he was in line with he stumps and the ball would have clattered off stump.
Webster was also trapped in front by Ngidi, who castled Cummins via his pad in his next over, while Wiaan Mulder bowled Travis Head in between as Australia slipped from 44 for two to 73 for seven.
With 13 wickets having fallen in the day and still more than an hour's play left, Carey and Starc dug in well. Carey overturned being given lbw on 19 while Starc (16 not out) was put down on 12 and 14.
Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne and Jansen at gully were the guilty parties but with several edges bouncing short towards the end of the day, the cordon had crept ever closer in a bid to snap up half-chances.
Rabada took the fielders out of the equation when Carey, pantomime villain here in the 2023 Ashes for his controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow, was leg-before in the penultimate over.
A breathless finish was in contrast to the start of the day, when just one wicket fell before lunch, with South Africa captain Temba Bavuma uppishly driving opposite number Cummins to Labuschagne on 36.
Bavuma, alongside David Bedingham (45), had led the recovery well from an overnight 43 for four before Cummins ran amok with a four-wicket burst in the second session.
Hitting a hard length and bowling with good pace, Cummins beat the attempted flick of Verreynne, who was lbw on review, before taking a return chance off Jansen later in the over.
He had his fifth when Bedingham's defensive push was snaffled by Carey before the Proteas were all out when Rabada pulled into the deep.
England vs India Test series☀️
All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all live on Sky Sports
- First Test: Friday June 20-Tuesday June 24 - Headingley
- Second Test: Wednesday July 2-Sunday July 6 - Edgbaston
- Third Test: Thursday July 10-Monday July 14 - Lord's
- Fourth Test: Wednesday July 23-Sunday July 27 - Old Trafford
- Fifth Test: Thursday July 31-Monday August 4 - The Kia Oval
England Men's Test summer continues with a five-match Test series against India at home, starting on Friday June 20 at Headingley, live on Sky Sports.
