At tea on Thursday, with an overall lead of 106 and eight wickets in hand, Australia must have felt they were well in control of this World Test Championship final. Particularly, after a marvellous spell of fast-bowling from captain Pat Cummins (6/28 in 18.1 overs) earned them a healthy 74-run first-innings lead.

But South Africa’s bowlers ensured they did not throw in the towel even after an insipid performance by their batting group earlier on Day II at Lord’s.

Fresh from his fifer in the first innings, Kagiso Rabada tried to bring South Africa back into the contest with his double strike in the closing stages of the second session when he got rid of Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in just three balls.

Then, it was Lungi Ngidi, who proved why he was preferred in the XI by the team management. After a lacklustre showing with the ball in the first innings, Ngidi was bang on target with his line, picking up the prized scalp of Steve Smith, followed by those of Beau Webster and captain Cummins. He played a big role in reducing Australia to 144/8 in their second essay at stumps on Day II.

Ngidi hit the deck hard and kept targeting the stumps, which did the trick for him as he first trapped Smith and Webster LBW before cleaning Cummins up. In between, Wiaan Mulder jagged one in that breached the defence of Australia’s game-changer Travis Head, whose weakness against such deliveries was exposed yet again.

Australia will resume the third day with a lead of 218, thanks to the resistance from keeper-batter Alex Carey (43) and Mitchell Starc (16 batting), after they were left wobbling at 73/7. Carey kept chipping in with runs and stitched a 61-run partnership for the
eighth wicket with Starc, which was critical in the context of the game.

Rabada finally had the better of Carey for his third wicket of the innings so far, giving some relief to the Proteas, though Australia would feel much better going into Day III after the hole Ngidi had put them in.

For the Proteas to lift the Test mace, it all boils down to their batters now to show some application. But such is the Lord’s pitch that it has always given the bowlers the upper hand.

Earlier, skipper Temba Bavuma raised hopes of a South African fightback with the bat. But following his dismissal off Cummins late in the first session, the Proteas crumbled. They had no answer to the hard length Cummins kept bowling as they were bundled out for a paltry 138 in their first innings.