The Daily Guardian
  • Home/
  • Sports/
  • Bedingham Confident South Africa Can Chase Down Target in WTC Final

Bedingham Confident South Africa Can Chase Down Target in WTC Final

David Bedingham says South Africa are confident and “excited” to chase down Australia’s target in a thrilling WTC final at Lord’s.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
Bedingham Confident South Africa Can Chase Down Target in WTC Final

South Africa’s middle-order batter David Bedingham has expressed strong confidence in his team’s ability to chase down Australia’s target in the World Test Championship (WTC) final. He said the Proteas are filled with belief and are excited about the challenge ahead.

Two Days of Intensity at Lord’s

The WTC final at Lord’s has delivered high drama across two days. Seam bowlers from both teams have dominated under challenging overcast conditions. Batters from either side have found it tough to score runs. South Africa were bowled out for just 138 in reply to Australia’s 212 in the first innings.

However, South Africa came back strong with the ball. Their bowlers produced a fiery spell to put Australia under pressure again.

Ngidi, Rabada and Jansen Lead South Africa’s Fightback

Pacer Lungi Ngidi made a big impact, justifying his selection by taking key wickets including Steven Smith, Beau Webster, and skipper Pat Cummins. Meanwhile, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada brought intensity to the attack and used the overcast skies to their advantage.

By the end of day two, Australia managed to reach 144/8, holding a lead of 218 runs with just two wickets left.

Proteas “Excited” About Fourth-Innings Chase

After stumps on day two, Bedingham spoke about the mood in the South African dressing room. He stressed that the team was optimistic and ready for the fourth-innings challenge.

“It’s just an amazing chance, and we are all very, very excited about the opportunity to win. Could go either way, but us as a team we are very, very excited and there’s a lot of belief in the dressing room,” Bedingham told ESPNcricinfo.

Australia’s Lower-Order Resistance Delays Collapse

While South Africa had Australia in deep trouble at 73/7, Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc fought back with a 61-run partnership. Their stand gave Australia some breathing space, lifting them to 144/8 at the end of play.

Still, South Africa remains confident. Bedingham said, “It’s an amazing day. When they started batting in the third innings, we would’ve definitely taken 220 for 8. So we are very confident, there’s a massive belief in this team.”

Bedingham Hopes Pitch Will Ease on Day Three

Batting hasn’t been easy on the Lord’s surface, as both teams have struggled to post big scores. Pat Cummins had earlier said that the batters had to fight hard for every run. Bedingham, South Africa’s top scorer with 45 off 111 balls in the first innings, agreed.

He observed that conditions might slightly favour the batters as the game progresses.

“When you have six quality seamers on a tricky pitch it obviously makes batting tough. The way the game’s going, the wicket’s slowed down a bit, so the nicks won’t carry,” Bedingham explained. “So in the fourth innings they’ll maybe come a bit straighter and that will probably be the danger on that type of wicket, but hopefully we can get those runs.”