By S. Obeyesekere
South Africa put to rest all of Australia’s venom by a third day’s brilliant unbeaten 102 by opening batsman Aiden Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma 65 not out, as the Proteas stood just a step away from a historic ICC world title in sight with just 69 away to wearing the World Test Championship Crown by a single stroke of consummate ease when play resumes on the fourth day at the hallowed Lords, set on 213 for 2 chasing 282 at the citadel of cricket following a dominant 143 unfinished third wicket partnership in 38.2 overs after Wiam Mulder fell for 27 batting display that had all but extinguished Pat Cummins high riding reigning champions when stumps were drawn on the third day.
Markram was indeed the soul to the cause by a wondrous 159-ball workmanlike innings upped by 11 boundaries with Bavuma scripting a truly captain’s knock in a test class temperament waiting knock consuming 121 balls content with the 5 boundaries to inching to the crown of taking South Africa past a long elusive dream at long last.
The duo had indeed brought South Africa close to shedding a long haunted ghost of ‘the chokers’ tag its cricket has lived with since the 1990s failure at a tilt at the world cup under Hansie Cronje.
Should the Proteas wrap up the win it would go a long way towards banishing a nickname they have come to despise: chokers.
In 18 previous one-day international and T20 World Cups, South Africa’s men’s team have reached a solitary final, having lost 10 of their 12 knockout matches across both competitions.
That final appearance was in last year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean where they lost to India when victory seemed to be within their grasp.
South Africa 138 and 213 for 2 (Markram 102*, Bavuma 65*, Starc 2-53) need 69 runs to beat Australia 212 and 207 (Starc 58, Carey 43, Rabada 4-59, Ngidi 3-38)