Australia have kept themselves in a commanding position in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa, leading by 218 runs after reaching 144/8 in their second innings at stumps on Day 2 (Thursday). The second innings saw Australia struggle to build momentum as South Africa's bowlers, led by Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, kept chipping away with regular breakthroughs. However, valuable runs from Alex Carey, scoring 43, allowed Australia to stretch their overall lead past the 200-run mark.
Going into Day 3 (Friday), Australia will aim to add as many runs as possible to set an unassailable target. Meanwhile, South Africa will look to get early wickets and keep the chase within reach.
Earlier, after being asked to bat, Australia posted a fighting total of 212. Steve Smith (66) and Beau Webster (72) had played greater roles in guiding Australia to a modest total. In response, South Africa’s batting unit crumbled under relentless pressure, managing just 138.