Australia lead by 218 runs in the WTC Final

Defending champions Australia have taken a commanding 218-run lead against South Africa in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. They had secured a 74-run lead in the first innings.

By the end of play on Day 2 (Thursday), Australia were 144/8 in their second innings. Mitchell Starc (16*) and Nathan Lyon (1*) were unbeaten at the crease.

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey played a crucial knockof 43 runs, while Marnus Labuschagne contributed 22. The team suffered a major collapse, losing 7 wickets for just 73 runs, but Carey and Starc stitched a vital 61-run partnership to take the lead past 200.

For South Africa, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi picked up 3 wickets each, while Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder took one apiece.

Earlier in the day, South Africa resumed their innings at 43/4 and were bowled out for 138 runs. On Day 1, Australia had posted 212 runs in their first innings.

The final session of the day belonged to the Australian batters. In this 28-over session, Australia scored 112 runs despite losing 6 wickets.

At one point, it seemed like the team might be bowled out for under 100, but a crucial partnership between Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc took the total to 144 runs, stabilizing the innings and extending their lead significantly.