WTC final in the balance as South Africa need 188 more runs to win

Defending champions Australia needed eight wickets and South Africa 188 more runs as both chased victory in a gripping World Test Championship final at Lord’s on Friday.

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Australia’s hopes looked more realistic but South Africa were making a fight of chasing a daunting target of 282 to win, reaching 94-2 at tea.

Aiden Markram (49) and Temba Bavuma (11) were unbeaten at the end of the middle session, taking advantage of a benign pitch after the first two days of the final saw the batsmen swept aside by efficient pace bowling on a much livelier deck.

It remained, however, a formidable task for South Africa, who need to produce the joint second-highest run chase in test history at Lord’s if they are to take the championship away from Australia.

England successfully chased down 282 against New Zealand in 2004 while the highest at the London venue is West Indies hunting down 342 against England in 1984, losing only one wicket in the process.

South Africa’s assignment had been made much harder after Mitchell Starc scored an unbeaten half-century and put on a 59-run last wicket partnership with Josh Hazlewood before Australia were dismissed for 207 in their second innings.

Starc scored 58 to frustrate South African hopes of wrapping up the tail early on the third day.

The Aussies started the day on 144-8 with a 218-run lead and modest ambitions of adding 20-30 runs more.

But while Nathan Lyon was dismissed in the third over of the day, becoming Kagiso Rabada’s ninth victim of the match as he was trapped leg before wicket for two, Starc and Hazlewood batted together for almost two hours.

Part-time bowler Markram finally dismissed Hazlewood for 17, as he dragged the ball to Keshav Maharaj at cover.

South Africa came out to bat after lunch and saw Ryan Rickelton depart with only six runs on the board.

A full delivery from Starc, angling away from the left-hander, hit the toe of Rickelton’s bat and flew up for a diving catch from wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

Wiaan Mulder made a lively 27 before spooning the ball to cover where Marnus Labuschagne had an easy catch off Starc and the bowler should have had a third wicket soon after but Bavuma was dropped by Steve Smith in the slips.

Smith looked to have dislocated a finger in the process and left immediately for treatment.