London, June 12 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey made a fighting 43 as Australia’s lead swelled to 218 runs after reaching 144/8 in 40 overs at stumps on day two of the ICC World Test Championship Final against South Africa at Lord’s on Thursday.

Australia captain Pat Cummins had earlier given his team a vital 74-run lead after his sensational spell of 6-28 led to South Africa being dismissed for 138 earlier on day two. Though Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi took three-fers, Carey’s timely knock, laced with five boundaries, ensured Australia went past 200 in terms of lead.

From being in tatters at 73/7, Carey’s knock, along with his critical 61-run stand stitched with Mitchell Starc, has ensured that Australia could be favourites to retain the mace ahead of what could potentially be the final day of the 2025 World Test Championship final.

The final session began with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne being largely untroubled before the latter was drawn into a drive off a fuller ball from Marco Jansen and nicked behind to the keeper.

In the next over, Ngidi beat Smith’s outside edge and hit him on the back pad, with the DRS showing the ball would crash into stumps, thus trapping the batter lbw on 13.

Ngidi struck again when he trapped Beau Webster plumb lbw, and the all-rounder burnt a review, as replays showed the ball smashing the top of the middle stump. Australia were plunged into further trouble when Travis Head was castled by Wiaan Mulder, while Ngidi knocked over Pat Cummins.

Carey and Starc had to bide some time before the former brought out his cut, drive, flick, and sweep to get vital boundaries. After overturning an lbw decision, Carey missed a flick off Rabada and was rapped on pads by a nip-backer from Rabada coming from round the wicket. Starc got a reprieve on the final over of a roller-coaster day two as Jansen fumbled at the gully, with South Africa also guilty of bowling eight front-foot no-balls, as Australia pushed their lead past 200.

Brief scores:

Australia 212 and 144/8 in 40 overs (Alex Carey 43, Marnus Labuschagne 22; Lungi Ngidi 3-35, Kagiso Rabada 3-44) lead South Africa 138 all out in 57.1 overs (David Bedingham 45, Temba Bavuma 36; Pat Cummins 6-28, Mitchell Starc 2-41) by 218 runs

–IANS

nr/bsk/