Bavuma and Markram lead South Africa to the verge of a historic triumph

Aiden Markram's brilliant century on Friday put South Africa on the verge of a dramatic victory in the World Test Championship final against Australia, potentially ending decades of heartbreak in major tournaments.

At stumps on Day 3 at Lord’s, South Africa stood at 213 for 2 in their second innings, needing just 69 more runs to chase down the 282-run target. With eight wickets in hand, the Proteas are closing in on their first ICC trophy in 27 years.

Markram, who was out for a duck in the first innings, bounced back with an unbeaten 102. At the other end, captain Temba Bavuma remained not out on 65, courageously batting through a hamstring injury. Together, they have added 143 runs for the third wicket—an unbroken partnership that has put South Africa within touching distance of what would be the second-highest successful run chase in a Test at Lord’s, behind the West Indies' 344 in 1984.

Despite the dominant position, South African fans remain cautious, given their team's long-standing reputation for crumbling under pressure in high-stakes matches. Their last ICC title came in 1998 at the Knockout Trophy.

Earlier in the day, Mitchell Starc had given Australia the upper hand with both bat and ball. He remained unbeaten on 58 as Australia posted 207 in their second innings, and then struck early with the ball, removing Ryan Rickelton (6) and Wiaan Mulder (27) to leave South Africa at 70 for 2.

Starc nearly had a third when Bavuma edged one, but Steve Smith—fielding close in with a helmet—failed to hold a sharp chance and left the field with a finger injury.

As the Lord’s surface dried and batting conditions improved under the sun, Markram went on the attack. He played some commanding strokes, including crisp drives and pulls off Pat Cummins, while Bavuma added elegance with shots like a straight drive off Cummins.

Both batters had moments of luck—Markram was beaten by a turning delivery from Nathan Lyon that slipped past both his bat and the keeper, while Bavuma was fortunate when a slog-sweep narrowly evaded a diving substitute fielder, Sam Konstas.

Bavuma brought up a gritty half-century off 83 balls, while Markram reached his hundred shortly before stumps with a crisp flick through midwicket off Josh Hazlewood—his 11th boundary in a 156-ball innings. It marked only the eighth Test century of his 84-innings career.

Earlier in the day, Kagiso Rabada gave South Africa an early breakthrough by trapping Nathan Lyon lbw, reducing Australia to 148-9. But Starc, dropped on 14 by Marco Jansen, capitalised on the reprieve and built a 59-run last-wicket stand with Hazlewood. The partnership was finally broken when Hazlewood holed out to part-time spinner Markram.

Rabada finished with figures of 4 for 59, taking his match tally to nine wickets and playing a pivotal role in keeping South Africa in contention.