Mitchell Starc scored an unbeaten half-century as Australia’s last-wicket pair put on a 59-run partnership on Friday to set South Africa a daunting target of 282 runs to win the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
Starc scored a potential match-winning 58 as Australia looked to have put the contest beyond an increasingly deflated South Africa side, who had high hopes of wrapping up the tail on the third day but took two hours to make the breakthrough.
They will need to produce the joint second-highest run chase in Test history at Lord’s following England’s successful 282-run chase against New Zealand in 2004. The highest is West Indies hunting down 342 against England in 1984.
A flatter wicket might offer some hope, after 28 wickets were taken on the opening two days of the contest, but Starc’s exploits make Australia runaway favorites to retain their title after they scored 207 in their second innings.
South Africa scored 138 in the first innings which offers some perspective on how tough their second-innings task will be, albeit they have two and a half days in which to chase down the target.
