Wtc Final 2025 Day 1 Recap: Rabada's Fiery Five And Smith's Classy 66 Set The Tone At Lord’s

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A Thrilling Start to WTC Final 2025 at Lord’s
The World Test Championship Final 2025 got off to an electrifying start at the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground, with South Africa and Australia trading fierce blows in an intense Day 1 showdown. Fast bowlers dominated proceedings, while two standout performances from Kagiso Rabada and Steve Smith gave the match early narrative.

South Africa Dominate with the Ball
Winning the toss and electing to bowl first in helpful conditions, South African captain Temba Bavuma made a bold move—and it paid off. Lead pacer Kagiso Rabada tore through Australia’s batting order with a world-class display of seam bowling, finishing with 5 wickets for 51 runs.

Rabada’s spell helped dismiss Australia for 212 all out in just 56 overs.

With this haul, Rabada surpassed Allan Donald to become South Africa’s second-highest wicket-taker in Test history (now with 332 wickets).

Steve Smith’s Historic Knock
While wickets tumbled at one end, Steve Smith stood tall, scoring a gritty 66 runs. With this effort, Smith broke a long-standing record to become ...
... the highest-scoring overseas batter at Lord’s, overtaking Warren Bardsley.

Smith’s technique and patience were on full display during a 90-run partnership with Beau Webster (72), who also impressed on debut.

However, once the duo was dismissed, the Aussies lost their last 6 wickets for just 55 runs.

Australia Strike Back in the Final Session
Just when South Africa looked to build a solid response, Australia’s fiery pace attack hit back hard.

Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins all struck early.

South Africa ended the day at 43/4, trailing by 169 runs.

Day 1 Key Highlights:
14 wickets fell on the opening day.

Rabada becomes only the second bowler to take a five-wicket haul in a WTC Final.

Both teams’ No. 1 batters—Usman Khawaja and Dean Elgar—were dismissed for ducks, a rare occurrence at Lord’s.

What to Expect on Day 2
With Australia on top and South Africa struggling, Day 2 will be pivotal. Will South Africa’s middle order show resistance, or can the Aussies build a first-innings lead and take control?

Fans can expect more drama, seam movement, and momentum shifts as the battle for the Test championship intensifies.

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