Australia vs South Africa World Test Championship Final 2025: Players from Australia and South Africa wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence on Saturday ahead of Day Three of the World Test Championship final to honour the victims of the Ahmedabad plane crash that occurred on June 12. In a video shared by the International Cricket Council, cricketers from both sides stood in silence before the start of play at Lord’s. "The cricketing world, led by South Africa and Australia, stands together to observe a moment of silence in honour of the lives lost in the Ahmedabad tragedy," ICC wrote on Instagram.
The Air India flight, which was headed to London from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, crashed just minutes after takeoff. The aircraft went down in a medical college complex near the airport. According to reports, the plane was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the passengers, 69 were Indian citizens. The others included 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens and one Canadian. Only one person is reported to have survived the crash. The confirmed death toll has reached 265.
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Indian cricketers including Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan and others posted tributes on social media expressing their grief.
On the field, Australia resumed their innings with a 218-run lead over South Africa. The match has seen fast-paced action, with wickets falling in clusters. South African pacer Kagiso Rabada took five wickets on Day One to dismiss Australia for 212. Steve Smith scored 66 and Beau Webster added 72. Australia's bowlers responded by reducing South Africa to 43 for 4 by stumps on Day One. Pat Cummins led the charge with a six-wicket haul as South Africa collapsed from 121 for 5 to 138 all out before lunch on Day Two.
Australia, the defending WTC champions, are seeking to retain the title they won in 2023 by defeating India at The Oval.