Australian cricket legend Matthew Hayden and South African fast-bowling great Dale Steyn have both voiced concerns over Pat Cummins’ captaincy in the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord’s. They feel Australia failed to maintain pressure when it mattered the most, especially after South Africa had lost two early wickets during their run chase.
Chasing a challenging target of 282 on a pitch that wasn’t easy to bat on, South Africa were in a vulnerable position at 70 for 2, having lost Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder.
Temba Bavuma, who suffered a hamstring strain when he was on just six runs, chose to stay at the crease despite his visible discomfort. Though he was unable to run hard between the wickets, he and Aiden Markram built a resilient partnership. The pair added 143 runs, with Markram finishing the day unbeaten on 102 and Bavuma on 65. South Africa ended the day at 213 for 2, just 69 runs away from a famous win.
Matthew Hayden, speaking after the day’s play, expressed disappointment at Australia’s strategy. He felt they missed a key opportunity to attack Temba Bavuma early when he was clearly struggling physically. According to him, Australia should have adopted a more aggressive field setup to exploit the situation. He explained that if Australia had put catching fielders in the right positions and attacked more, they might have had a better chance to dismiss Temba Bavuma quickly and regain control of the game.
Dale Steyn echoed Matthew Hayden’s view, noting that Australia didn’t adjust their field placements to suit the pitch conditions. He pointed out that the ball was staying low and not carrying to the slips, a situation that calls for close-in fielders like short cover or short midwicket, similar to playing on subcontinent pitches. He emphasised that adapting to such changes is crucial and that Australia missed out by not being more proactive in their approach.
Well, the most important thing that South Africa needs to do at the moment is to bat sensibly and maturely and score the remaining runs. Cricket is an unpredictable game and the Aussies are quite competitive. Moreover, it is quite certain that Pat Cummins and his team will give everything to get South Africa all out before they touch the target.
