South Africa’s Aiden Markram stepped up in the World Test Championship final against Australia, scoring a century in the last match at Lord’s on Friday, June 13. Markram played a nearly flawless innings, becoming the first-ever WTC Final centurion from South Africa.
Aiden Markram Joins Elite Company in WTC Final History
Markram matched Steve Smith and Travis Head in the record of making a hundred in the WTC Final, as he assisted South Africa take a lead in the run-chase of 282. The right-handed batsman stood at the crease to open the innings for South Africa and shared a century stand with Temba Bavuma, setting the challengers in the best possible position to claim the final Test match. Markram completed his milestone off 155 balls, which was his 8th in Test cricket.
Hundreds in WTC Final
- Travis Head: 163 off 174 balls, vs India 2023
- Steve Smith: 121 off 268 balls, vs India 2023
- Aiden Markram: 102* off 159 balls, vs Australia 2025
Given a challenge of 282 runs, which has been achieved at the Lord’s only twice in history, Markram took advantage of the sunny weather and retaliated against the Australian pacers. 28 wickets had tumbled on the initial two days of the Test match, which indicated that batting would be challenging on the Lord’s surface. But Markram went against the odds on Friday, and batted with remarkable accuracy, becoming the first-ever South African to register WTC Final century.
Bavuma’s Steady Support and Near-Miss Moments
Temba Bavuma also played a sensational knock and remained unbeaten on 62 runs. He held one end while Markram completed his century at the other.
Both batters played risk-free cricket. They focused on keeping the ball on the ground and avoided unnecessary shots.
Temba Bavuma survived an early chance on 2. He later offered another opportunity to Sam Konstas at deep mid-wicket after reaching his fifty.
Aiden Markram, on the other hand, batted with precision. He made sure to convert every scoring chance and stayed in control throughout.