With 14 wickets falling on a slow pitch for a total of 255 runs, the day was all about bowlers. South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada claimed 5-51, and his new-ball partner Marco Jansen took 3-49, dismantling the defending champions for 212, with the last five wickets collapsing for just 20 runs.
Despite the sunny conditions, Australia’s fast bowlers proved even more effective. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and captain Pat Cummins restricted the Proteas to a mere 43-4 in 22 overs by the end of the day.
The low run-scoring made Beau Webster’s 72 and Steve Smith’s 66 stand out as the only contributions exceeding 23 runs all day.
“Starcy had the ball on a string,” Webster told the BBC. “It’s tricky for a batsman. Our bowling attack has been incredibly strong. We know if we don’t quite deliver with the bat, our bowlers will step up. Outstanding effort from the boys.” Australia’s 212 total seemed underwhelming until its fast bowlers made it appear formidable.
Starc dismissed Aiden Markram for a duck in the first over of South Africa’s innings, and Ryan Rickelton edged to slips on 16.
Starc should have claimed Wiaan Mulder on 1, but wicketkeeper Alex Carey dropped an easy catch.
Mulder hung in for 44 balls to score 6 before he was bowled by Cummins, who delivered a perfect ball at 25-3. In the same over, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma edged a defensive shot off Cummins, but the ball fell just short of Usman Khawaja in slips.
Bavuma ended the day on 3 off 37 balls; Tristan Stubbs was not as fortunate, as he was bowled by Hazlewood for 2.
David Bedingham concluded the day with two consecutive boundaries, marking only his team’s fourth and fifth runs in a dismal innings.
Australia is defending the WTC mace it first secured in 2023, while South Africa aims for its first ICC trophy this century.
Proteas wisely opted to bowl first. After winning the toss, Bavuma quickly placed the ball in the hands of his two prime threats, Rabada and Jansen.
They took advantage of the bowler-friendly conditions, with the overcast skies prompting the stadium lights to be turned on after the 10 a.m. toss.
Even though many of the Proteas hadn’t played at Lord’s before, they were well-prepared; Rabada attacked up the slope for edges, while Jansen bowled down the slope, looking to nip deliveries in. Their discipline paid off with four wickets in the first session.
Rabada’s wobble seam bowled Khawaja for a duck on the 20th ball for the sixth time in 11 tests, and Cameron Green fell for 4 in the same over. Green, batting at No. 3 in a test for the first time, edged Rabada to second slip, where Markram executed a fantastic catch.
During this time, Marnus Labuschagne, Khawaja’s fifth opening partner in 17 months and debuting in this role, struggled for rhythm in the tough conditions.
He appeared settled after an hour and a half, scoring 17 from 56 balls, until he edged Jansen behind and slowly walked back at 46-3.
Smith was soon joined by the aggressive Travis Head. In the 2023 final, they came together at 76-3 and partnered for 285 runs, but this time was different.
Just two minutes before lunch, Head fell to a tickle down leg off Jansen, expertly caught by keeper Kyle Verreynne with a diving one-handed effort.
After Head’s dismissal, Australia was at 67-4 at lunch, while the sun began to peek through. Lord’s lore suggests that sunlight eases batting conditions.
Smith capitalized on this; his ninth boundary brought up his 50 and Australia’s 100.
Webster was fortunate to survive early challenges from Rabada and Jansen, but once they were off the attack, he accelerated. Together, the seasoned Smith and newcomer Webster — who debuted in January — put on 79 runs, as South Africa began to falter in the rising heat.
Bavuma made poor review decisions that hampered South Africa’s efforts: failing to review a clear lbw for Rabada, reviewing a lbw shout that hit the bat, and wasting another review.
When Mulder wanted to switch ends, Bavuma obliged by giving the ball to part-time spinner Markram. He lofted one, and Smith, having surpassed his Lord’s average of 58, edged a thick shot behind to the towering Jansen, who juggled the catch.
With Webster notching his second test fifty, he and Carey brought Australia to tea at a solid 190-5. However, after the break, Carey was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj, leading to a rapid collapse of the tail, finished off by Rabada and Jansen.
“He was unbelievable,” Jansen remarked about Rabada. “I could see in the game blood in his eyes.” Rabada’s second five-wicket haul at Lord’s earned him a round of applause.
Ultimately, it was the Australian fans who were cheering by day’s end.
