The ICC World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa is being held at Lord’s. The opening day saw significant struggles for the batsmen of both sides. Early on, South Africa’s bowlers put pressure on the Australian batsmen, but the Australian bowlers responded effectively.
Mitchell Starc’s exceptional bowling performance was a highlight, as he troubled the batsmen while also limiting the scoring rate. Starc made history by breaking the record previously held by India’s fast bowler Mohammed Shami, taking 2 wickets on day one.
Starc took 2 crucial wickets for just 10 runs in 7 overs. He dismissed Aiden Markram early and then, following the dismissal of Ryan Rickelton, Starc exceeded Mohammed Shami’s record. Starc now leads in the number of wickets taken in ICC tournament finals, with 11 wickets in 6 innings, previously held by Mohammed Shami with 10 wickets.
Australia’s first innings scored 212 runs. Steve Smith scored 66 runs, Marnus Labuschagne contributed 72, and Alex Carey scored 23. For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada took 5 wickets, and Marco Jansen claimed 3 wickets.
South Africa’s first innings didn’t start well either, finishing the day at 43 runs for 4 wickets. The dismissed batsmen included Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Dean Elgar, and Tristan Stubbs. Currently, Temba Bavuma is batting with 3 runs, and David Bedingham has 8 runs.