After getting out on duck in the first inning of World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia, Aiden Markram left his ghost of past to score century in the chase of 282 in at the iconic 'Home Of Cricket', Lord's.
Aiden Markram remained the picture of composure as he brought up a sublime unbeaten 102 by stumps on day three, steering South Africa to a commanding 213 for 2 in pursuit of 282 in the World Test Championship Final. With just 69 more runs needed for victory, the Proteas find themselves on the brink of a historic triumph
After getting out on duck in the first inning of World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against Australia, Aiden Markram left his ghost of past to score century in the chase of 282 in at the iconic 'Home Of Cricket', Lord's.
Aiden Markram remained the picture of composure as he brought up a sublime unbeaten 102 by stumps on day three, steering South Africa to a commanding 213 for 2 in pursuit of 282 in the World Test Championship Final. With just 69 more runs needed for victory, the Proteas find themselves on the brink of a historic triumph, first ICC trophy after 1999.
Markram struck 11 boundaries during his fluent century and found a dependable ally in skipper Temba Bavuma. Together, the captain and vice-captain weathered everything Australia threw at them. Despite Bavuma battling through a hamstring injury, he remained composed under the pressure of a high-stakes final. Their unbroken partnership turned the tide in South Africa바카라™s favour, capping off a dominant final session on day three in which Australia failed to claim a single wicket.
In doing so, Markram became just the sixth visiting batter to score a fourth-innings hundred at Lord바카라™s, joining an elite list that includes the likes of Sir Don Bradman and Gordon Greenidge. Remarkably, he also became only the ninth batter to record both a duck and a century in the same Test at the iconic venue바카라”underscoring the redemption arc of his innings after a disappointing start.
The hundred, his third in the fourth innings of a Test, also puts Markram alongside South African greats such as Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers. He is now joint-second on the all-time list for most fourth-innings centuries as a South African opener, with only Smith (4) ahead of him.
His calm and authoritative knock came under immense pressure against a world-class Australian pace attack, and was pivotal in taking the Proteas to 213/2 at stumps on day three, needing just 69 more for victory. On the other end, Temba Bavuma continues his astonishing run of form as captain바카라”his gritty 65* marks his ninth consecutive 30+ score in Tests as skipper, a feat matched only by legends like Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ted Dexter.