South Africa are on the brink of ending a 27-year title drought, closing in on victory in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at Lord’s. At stumps on Day 3, the Proteas were 213 for 2, needing just 69 more runs with eight wickets in hand to claim the coveted trophy.
Chasing a challenging target of 282, it was Aiden Markram who brought South Africa within touching distance of the win. On the grand stage of a WTC Final, the right-handed batter rose to the occasion, notching up his eighth Test century — a historic one.
With this hundred, Markram became the first South African batter to score a century in the final of any ICC tournament. The previous best by a South African in an ICC final was 61, scored by Hansie Cronje against West Indies in the final of the 1998 Champions Trophy — the only ICC event South Africa have ever won.
Markram’s century wasn’t just a match-defining knock; it broke several records:
He became the third batter to score a century in a WTC Final at Lord’s, joining Steve Smith and Travis Head.
He’s also the third batter overall to score a century in an ICC final at Lord’s, alongside West Indies legends Clive Lloyd and Vivian Richards.
Markram is now the sixth overseas player to score a century in the fourth innings of a Test at Lord’s, after Gordon Greenidge (214, 1984), Roy Fredericks (138, 1976), Michael Clarke (136, 2009), *Ajit Agarkar (109, 2002), and *Sir Donald Bradman (102, 1938).
He also entered the elite list of openers with the second-most centuries (4) in fourth innings of Test matches, tied with Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Smith. Others with three centuries in fourth innings include Herbert Sutcliffe, Geoffrey Boycott, Gordon Greenidge, and Graham Gooch.
Interestingly, after scoring a duck in the first innings, Markram bounced back with a century in the second — a feat previously achieved by nine other players in Tests at Lord’s. He became the fifth South African to do so on English soil.
Markram remained unbeaten on 102 off 159 balls, laced with 11 boundaries. While South Africa edge closer to a long-awaited ICC title, Markram now has the opportunity to not only seal the victory but also carve out an even bigger chapter in cricket history with his bat.
