South Africa won the toss at Lord’s and chose to bowl, and Kagiso Rabada justified the decision inside the first hour of the World Test Championship final. Australia were bowled out for 212 on the opening day, and by stumps South Africa had slipped to 43-4, still 169 runs behind. Fourteen wickets fell on the day, and the one-off final that decides the championship is finely balanced with four days to play.
The Opening Spell
Rabada began with three consecutive maidens, then removed Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the same over to reduce Australia to 16-2. Khawaja faced 20 balls without scoring, and Green’s dismissal left the innings in early trouble. Three straight maidens at the start of a final put the batsmen under immediate pressure, and the loss of two wickets in a single over turned that pressure into damage.
His first spell read six overs, nine runs and two wickets. That opening burst set the tone for the morning, and although Australia’s middle order found a response later in the day, South Africa’s seamers rarely released the pressure for long. Australia’s batsmen never fully settled against the new ball, and the scoreboard moved slowly through the opening session.
The Five-for and the Record
Rabada returned after tea and took three more wickets, removing Pat Cummins, Beau Webster and Mitchell Starc, to finish with 5-51 from 15.4 overs. It was his 17th five-for in Test cricket and his second at Lord’s, after his first at the ground in 2022. The spell kept Australia’s lower order pinned down, and it left the innings with nowhere to go.
The wickets took him to 332 in Tests, past Allan Donald’s 330 and into fourth place on South Africa’s all-time list. Only a handful of South Africans have passed 300 Test wickets, and the men above him are among the finest bowlers the country has produced. The milestone drew a response from Rabada, who told the ICC: “To be named in that list of bowlers is special. As a player growing up and representing South Africa, I’ve been inspired by those who have come before and seen what they have done on the big stage. To be listed among those names is special and long may it continue.”
Australia’s 212
Steve Smith made 66 and Beau Webster top-scored with 72, and the pair put on 79 for the fifth wicket to steady an innings that had wobbled early. Australia’s total rested largely on that stand, which carried the side through the middle of the day and gave the lower order a platform. Smith and Webster did the bulk of the work.
Once the partnership was broken, Australia lost their last five wickets for 20 runs, with Marco Jansen finishing with 3-49. No partnership after Smith and Webster lasted long, and the tail was gone before the total could grow.
Smith said of facing Rabada, in comments reported by the Guardian: “He’s just got good skills. He can shape the ball away. He can nibble it both ways. He’s relentless. He’s always at you. He’s always up for the challenge. He charges in all day, and his record speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”
Australia Hit Back
Australia’s fast bowlers hit back late in the day. Mitchell Starc took 2-10, Josh Hazlewood 1-10 and Pat Cummins 1-14 as South Africa closed on 43-4, still 169 runs behind. The four wickets kept the final within reach for Australia, and they went to stumps with the momentum their batsmen had lost.
Fourteen wickets fell across the day, and South Africa will resume on the second morning with six wickets in hand. Rabada said of his side’s position, in comments released by the ICC: “Right now, we’re 43/4, not the start we were looking for but there’s a lot of cricket to be played in this Test match.”
What Rabada Said
Rabada also reflected on the day as a whole, in comments released through the ICC: “212, we’d take that. We thought we should’ve had them at 160, but that’s just the way the game goes” His figures of 5-51 were the best of the opening day.
Rabada returned to the side after serving a one-month suspension for a positive test for a recreational drug (The Guardian, The National).
Related: Rabada Provisionally Suspended After Positive Test for Recreational Drug
Sources: The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/jun/11/cricket-world-test-championship-lords-south-africa-australia-kagiso-rabada; ICC, https://www.icc-cricket.com/tournaments/world-test-championship/news/rabada-reveals-key-reason-behind-lord-s-aussie-onslaught; The National, https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/cricket/2025/06/11/wtc-final-australia-fight-back-after-kagiso-rabadas-five-wicket-haul-at-lords/
