NewKerala.com

Key Points

David Bedingham remains optimistic about South Africa's chances in the WTC final, emphasizing the team's strong belief. The Proteas' seamers, led by Rabada and Jansen, have kept Australia under pressure despite a late fightback from Carey and Starc. Bedingham suggests the pitch may slow down, potentially aiding South Africa's chase. The match remains finely balanced heading into the decisive stages.

Key Points: David Bedingham Confident in SA's Belief for WTC Final Chase

  • Bedingham highlights team confidence for fourth-innings chase
  • Proteas seamers Rabada, Jansen, Ngidi dominate Australia
  • Carey-Starc partnership offers Australia brief respite
  • Pitch conditions may ease for batters on Day 3
3 min read

Massive belief in this team: Bedingham describes mood in SA's camp as WTC final heads towards its conclusion

South Africa's David Bedingham expresses strong belief in Proteas' ability to chase down Australia's target in the gripping WTC final at Lord's.

"There's a massive belief in this team – David Bedingham"

London, June 13

South Africa's David Bedingham exuded "confidence" in the Proteas' ability to gun down whatever target Australia throws at them and assured that they will approach the fourth innings chase with "belief" in the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

The two days of a pulsating final have been filled with the explosive pace of the speedsters and the batter's inability to contain the seam movement. After South Africa folded on 138 in reply to Australia's 212 in the first innings, the Proteas dazzled with a spirited display with the ball to mount a strong comeback.

Lungi Ngidi justified his selection by scything priceless scalps of Steven Smith, Beau Webster and captain Pat Cummins. Conversely, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada brought the heat on the field under the gloomy sky at Lord's, leaving Australia 218 runs ahead with two wickets in hand after day two.

After the day's play ended, Bedingham assured the Temba Bavuma-led troops were ready for the challenge and "excited" to seize the opportunity.

"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 said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

At the 'Home of Cricket', South African seamers had figured out the formula to hurt Australia under the overcast conditions in mid-afternoon. The troika of Rabada, Jansen and Ngidi breathed fire down Australia's necks and had them reeling at 73/7.

Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc's valiance offered the Baggy Greens a moment of reprieve. The duo stitched up a 61-run stand to raise the defending champions to 144/8 before the end of the day's play.

"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," he added.

Considering how the past two days have unfolded, the batters have had to keep their noses to the grindstone to churn out runs. Cummins felt that the batters had to sweat blood to put runs on the board. Bedingham, who was South Africa's top scorer with 45(111) in the first innings, agreed with the Australian captain but felt conditions could ease up for batters on day three.

"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," he said. "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," he said.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments for the cricket article:
R
Rahul K.
What a thrilling match! SA's bowling attack looks lethal under these conditions. Rabada is proving why he's one of the best in the world. Hope the batters can back up this performance - would love to see a close finish at Lord's! 🇿🇦🏏
P
Priya M.
As an Indian cricket fan, it's bittersweet watching this final. Our team should have been here! But credit to SA for showing such fighting spirit. Bedingham's confidence is infectious - reminds me of how our players back themselves in tough situations.
A
Arjun S.
The pitch conditions are making this match so unpredictable! Shows why test cricket is the real deal. SA's pace attack is world-class, but they need to bat better in 4th innings. Australia always finds a way in big matches - Carey/Starc partnership could be crucial.
N
Neha T.
Watching this match makes me miss our Indian pacers! Bumrah and Shami would have been lethal on this track. But happy to see Ngidi getting his due - he's often underrated. Hope the match goes down to the wire - test cricket needs more finals like this!
V
Vikram J.
While the bowling has been exceptional, the batting from both sides has been disappointing. These are supposed to be the best test teams! Shows how much the game has become bowler-dominated. Still, can't take away from SA's fighting spirit - that 73/7 collapse was something else!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50