Proteas Aim for Historic Chase Against Australia in WTC Finals

Australia's Innings Concludes at Lord's
The Australian cricket team concluded their innings at 207 runs, thanks to a stellar performance from the South African bowlers at Lord's. Initially, Australia was dismissed for a mere 212 runs, but their bowlers, particularly the pace attack, excelled in limiting South Africa to just 138 runs. In their second innings, the South African bowlers once again dismantled the Australian batting lineup, claiming wickets in quick succession. The Proteas now face a target of 282 runs to chase down.
Historically, South Africa has successfully chased down scores exceeding 250 runs in Tests on five occasions, with three of those victories coming against Australia. Their highest successful chase was an impressive 414 runs at the WACA in Perth back in 2008.
South Africa's Record Test Chases
Target | Scored | Versus | Ground | Result |
414 | 414/4 | Australia | WACA Ground | South Africa won by 6 wickets |
335 | 340/5 | Australia | Kingsmead | South Africa won by 5 wickets |
295 | 297/4 | Australia | Melbourne Cricket Ground | South Africa won by 6 wickets |
284 | 287/9 | England | Old Wanderers | South Africa won by 1 wicket |
The upcoming clash is set to be a showdown between the batters led by Bavuma and the bowlers spearheaded by Pat Cummins, particularly the pace bowlers. The effectiveness of fast bowlers has been evident in the World Test Championship finals, with only one wicket falling to a spinner across all 30 wickets taken in the match so far. South Africa's Keshav Maharaj is the sole spinner to have claimed a wicket, while Australia's captain Pat Cummins leads with six wickets in an innings.
Mitchell Starc's Impact
Despite the impressive efforts of the South African bowlers, Mitchell Starc made a significant contribution by scoring a half-century, which helped Australia surpass the 250-run mark.