London: Hobbling captain Temba Bavuma and hundred-hitter Aiden Markram pushed South Africa to the brink of a sensational victory over Australia in a gripping World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Friday.
Bavuma, elevating the drama with a strained left hamstring, and opener Markram partnered for an unbroken 143 runs against one of Australia’s greatest bowling attacks to have South Africa 69 runs from an historic triumph.
Chasing 282 to win, the Proteas were 213-2 at stumps on day three in a stirring bid to win a first ICC trophy in 27 years.
Bavuma was 65 not out, his running restricted but not his batting technique, and Markram was 102 not out, easily the highest individual score of the final.
Defending champion Australia bombarded them with four of its top-10 all-time test wicket-takers — more than 1,500 wickets in total — but they couldn’t part the Proteas pair, and hardly troubled them.
In South Africa’s huge favor, the day three pitch flattened, offered the bowlers little and was far easier paced than the first two days, when 14 wickets fell on each. Only four wickets were taken on Friday, and none after tea.
The odds were in Australia’s favor when South Africa’s chase began straight after lunch.
One of cricket’s best test bowling batteries faced a work-in-progress batting lineup needing to equal England’s most successful ever run chase at Lord’s from 2004 to win. The only bigger triumphant run chase at the home of cricket was 344-1 in 1984 by the West Indies.
By the time pacer Mitchell Starc removed Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder, South Africa was 70-2 but flying.
The positive intent missing from the first innings was shown from the first ball of the chase, and the strike was rotated constantly. Australia managed only three maidens in 56 overs, all by spinner Nathan Lyon.
Starc could have had a third wicket and reduced South Africa to 76-3 when Bavuma, on 2, thick-edged to first slip.
But a helmeted Steve Smith, standing closer than usual to the wickets because the ball hasn’t been carrying to the cordon all game, couldn’t hold Starc’s 138 kph delivery and broke his right pinkie finger. He immediately left for a hospital, was out of the final and probably the following three-test tour of the West Indies.
Given life, Bavuma was on 9 when he hurt his hamstring 10 minutes before tea. After on-field treatment, he carried on, but noticeably limping.
The captain came back out after tea and soothed his dressing room with pulls and sweeps and hobbled runs, each one rousing the South Africa fans.
Meanwhile, Markram’s cuts and drives got him to 50 off 69 balls. The best of his 11 boundaries was a late cut off Starc expertly sliced between two fielders.
Lyon, bowled for 18 overs, shaved the wickets a couple of times and got Bavuma to hit deep on 43, but substitute fielder Sam Konstas couldn’t make the diving catch.
Bavuma reached his 50 off 83 balls, and Markram’s reaction to his eighth test century five minutes from stumps was also muted. A raised bat to all sides and applause and a hug from his captain.
South Africa’s celebratory end to Friday the 13th contrasted starkly to a deflating start to the day.
The Proteas would have expected to begin the chase in the morning, bowling out Australia half an hour after the start of play. Lyon was dismissed early and gave Kagiso Rabada his ninth wicket of the match, but tailenders Starc and Josh Hazlewood resisted for almost two deflating hours.
Both exceeded their test batting averages. Hazlewood uppercut Marco Jansen over the cordon, and Starc achieved his 11th test fifty, and first in six years.
Their third 50-plus partnership for the 10th wicket tied the all-time test record. The stand ended on 59, Hazlewood out for 17 to part-timer Markram. Starc was not out on 58 from 136 balls. He’d entered at 73-7, when Australia led by 147, and combined mainly with Alex Carey and Hazlewood to conjure 134 more runs.
Those runs and South Africa’s 20 no balls appeared to put Australia beyond reach. But Bavuma and Markram had the confidence and the pitch to defy expectations.
