SA vs AUS LIVE Cricket Score, WTC Final 2025 Day 3: Can South Africa chase down history at Lord’s today?

Temba Bavuma and Co. will rue the bad bit of batting in the lower-order. Or perhaps it was the sheer class of Pat Cummins who stomped them from reducing the first-innings deficit beyond 74 runs. Cummins’ 300th Test wicket and six-wicket haul meant that Australia had cushion for a potential collapse induced by the Proteas attack to build themselves a lead that has crossed the 200-run mark.

Only once has a 200-plus total score been chased down at the home of cricket in the fourth innings. The task has been cut out, but with ample sunshine beating down on the surface, Bavuma’s men may have their little share of fortune against Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

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The genius of Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins stands out as Australia's ultimate big-game performer, consistently dominating crucial matches. He has a remarkable ability to effortlessly control the flow of a game, making it seem as if he simply "bends the ball" to his will without breaking a sweat. This apparent ease makes him unique; he strips away the mystique of fast bowling, almost making it look like anyone strong enough could just walk in and take a heap of wickets. This deceptive simplicity is what the author calls the "Cummins fallacy."