Australia Leads South Africa by 218 Runs at Lord’s in World Test Final

The World Test Championship final between Australia and South Africa at Lord's remains highly competitive after day two, with Australia leading by 218 runs but struggling at 144-8 in their second innings due to strong South African seam bowling. Australia captain Pat Cummins shone with six wickets and reached 300 Test wickets, highlighting the dominance of bowlers as 28 wickets fell over the first two days. Despite Australia's advantage, South African batsman David Bedingham expressed strong confidence that his team could chase down the target, emphasizing belief and commitment in the dressing room. Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting urged South Africa to play more aggressively against the new ball to apply pressure on Australia's bowlers early. The pitch has been challenging with quality seam bowlers on both sides, but Bedingham noted the wicket had slowed down, which might help South Africa's fourth-innings chase. Overall, South Africa remains optimistic about pulling off an upset despite Australia's formidable bowling attack led by Cummins.