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Carnage at Lord's: Extraordinary Aussie collapse on day 2
SEN • June 13th, 2025 8:23 am
Dramatic scenes at Lord’s during Australia’s second batting innings with a total collapse from Pat Cummins’side leaving the World test Championship Final hanging in the balance.
Day two started slowly with South Africa resuming their first batting innings at 43-4, their captain Temba Bavuma the only wicket to fall before the lunch break with the side 121-5.
Post lunch chaos ensued, with 13 wickets tumbling across the next two sessions. That’s 28 wickets across the opening two days of the Final.
It was a Cummins masterclass with the skipper claiming six to ensure South Africa’s final five batsman managed a total of just 12 runs.
It also saw the captain of Australia enter the 300-wicket club, but it was an heroic solo effort that would be totally overshadowed by what followed.
With Australia seemingly in the driver’s seat, no one could have foreseen what followed.
Fighting for his Test career Marnus Labuschagne joined Steve Smith as the only two Aussies in the top six to make it into double figures as the deadly South African pace attack his it stride.
WTC villain Kagiso Rabada claimed another three scalps as did Lungi Ngidi before Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder took one each leaving Australia 144-8 at stumps (leading by 218) and Nathan Lyon (1) and Mitchell Starc (16) fighting to keep their side in contention.
Despite the extraordinary day of play, Cummins remains confident his side can turn things around.
“Ideally we’d probably have a few more wickets in the shed,” he said. “But I think the trend of the game is the runs are coming down.
“It’s still pretty difficult out there. I think it’s set up well for a day three finish you’d imagine. But I think we’re going to have to bowl well still in the fourth innings.
“Going into day three I think it’s pretty close to 50-50.”
