South Africa batter David Bedingham said that the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 hangs in the balance on Day 2, but mentioned that there's enough belief in the dressing room to chase down whatever Australia puts on the board. Australia finished Day 2 on 144/8, leading by 218 runs in their second innings.
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00:01David, well batted.
00:03It seems to be, well, maybe you can explain why the bowlers seem to have dominated so much.
00:11You obviously spend quite a lot of time out there.
00:13What exactly is going on out there?
00:16I think it's a combination of it being a tricky pitch.
00:20But I think when you have six quality seamers on a tricky pitch,
00:26I think it obviously makes batting tough.
00:31But, yeah, I think the way the game's going, I think the wicket has slowed down a bit.
00:36I think the Knicks aren't carrying.
00:37So I think in the fourth innings, I think they'll maybe come a bit straighter.
00:42And that will probably be, like, I think the danger on that type of wicket.
00:47But, yeah, hopefully we can get those runs.
00:50David, yesterday you guys didn't make much progress early on.
01:01Do you think it'll help tomorrow?
01:03Clearly you're going to have to chase the highest score of the match.
01:05But having a target in mind, do you think that'll actually help the guys to know quite how to pace the innings?
01:11Yeah, I think so.
01:12I think we definitely showed more intent today.
01:15I think myself, Thames, and probably Kyle tried.
01:20I think it was tough on that pitch.
01:21But I think that will probably be the way we go about it in the fourth innings.
01:29David, not many guys out there, yourself as an exception, have been playing much red ball cricket these past few months.
01:36Do you think that's contributed to the clatter of wickets?
01:39Maybe, but I think that the six quality seamers out there, I think that makes it tough.
01:48Personally, I don't think the Australians gave us any bad balls.
01:52I think the boundaries we hit were decent balls.
01:56But I think that's why they're the best in the world, I think.
02:00So hopefully going forward, we can just counteract that and win the World Test Championship.
02:06Betis, we saw you open in a test match some time ago.
02:11And I'm just wondering if you felt that the need was there, would you be happy to bat a little bit higher, perhaps even at number three in the chase?
02:18I'm happy to bat anywhere, I'm told.
02:22Yeah, I think I'm confident to bat anywhere.
02:26So if they ask me to bat three, I'll bat three.
02:29If they ask me to bat ten, I'll bat ten.
02:31But yeah, I don't think there'll be much change.
02:35Cool, I'll go Keenum and one to bat.
02:38Well batted, David.
02:40After tea, we saw the clouds come over a bit and Lungi really got the ball to move a lot.
02:46Having so much experience in England, could you maybe just describe how that changes the cloud cover and how it affects the movement?
02:54Well, I think they always say look up, not down.
02:58And I think that we probably got luckier with the conditions.
03:02But you mentioned Lungi.
03:04I think he struggled in the first innings and to come back the way he did was quite special.
03:10And I think we're very lucky to have him.
03:13David, we saw a few drop short of the keeper in the slips in that last session, especially there.
03:21Is it tough to get a read about how close and where to stand for your quicks, especially in the slip corner?
03:28Yeah, well, I think we maybe picked it up a bit late.
03:30But I generally think I don't think we could get closer.
03:37I mean, we were playing massive drives and it was still bouncing short.
03:41So I think maybe in the morning, I think we'll still try to get as close as possible.
03:47But I don't think we could have got any closer.
03:52David, you touched on Lungi struggling yesterday.
03:55What was he like this morning, last night?
03:57And once he was on that tear of nine overs, what was it like sharing a field with him?
04:02Lungi's a chilled guy, so I don't think it would have affected him that much.
04:07But, yeah, I think he was struggling with that end.
04:10And I think as soon as he changed ends, he looked a lot more comfortable.
04:16Yeah, and for him to bowl nine overs on the bounce takes a massive amount of effort.
04:22And, yeah, I think we're very lucky to have him.
04:25You and Temba fought back with a bit more aggression than was shown last night.
04:31Is that the way to go on a pitch that, you know, any ball can have your number?
04:35I think so.
04:35I think the main thing is just to 100% commit if you're defending or attacking.
04:41I think as soon as you get caught in two minds against these attacks, I think you get found wanting.
04:46So, yeah, I think just 100% commitment in defence or attack.
04:54Hi there.
04:55Could you just talk through the ball and the pad flap moment and, I suppose, the discussion around that?
05:01Yeah, I think I panic big time because I think Kerry was standing up, so he was quite close.
05:07But the umpires said, regardless, I think it was dead ball.
05:12But I think the way I dropped the ball, picked up the ball, came across a bit dodgy.
05:17But, yeah, I'm glad they just withdrew the appeal because there's more controversy and that type of stuff.
05:24But, yeah, I'm glad it just was тАУ I'm glad nothing happened out of it really, yeah.
05:30Was there any more discussion of it post or was it kind of it was dead ball, we move on?
05:37Not really.
05:38I just think the slipcord just told me just don't panic, just leave it, I think.
05:43But in the moment, I think I panic big time, yeah.
05:47Can I ask you, with about 2.20, 2.30 to chase, what's the mood in the camp?
05:52Do you think you can do it?
05:53We're very confident.
05:55I think the batters will have their plans.
05:58But, yeah, I think it's an amazing day.
06:04And I think when they started batting in their third innings, I think we would have definitely had them or taken them 220 for eight.
06:15So I think, yeah, very confident and I think there's a massive belief in this team.
06:21Pat Cummins took his 300th test wicket today.
06:23What makes him so challenging to face?
06:26I just, I don't think he ever misses.
06:32There's always energy on the ball.
06:34I think he bowled like 18-odd overs.
06:36I think his energy from his first over to his 18th was exactly the same.
06:43Has a good bouncer, good skills.
06:45He's just, yeah, world class.
06:47David, was there a meeting of the batsmen and the team overnight last night or this morning when you got to the ground with that deliberate effort that you were going to not die wandering and you were going to, whatever happens, you were going to go after this?
07:07Not really, I just think it was more a case of just like having the complete backing of the team.
07:14So if you're keen to block all day, you can.
07:18If you're keen to smack it all day, you can.
07:20So I just, I think there was a chat just to say, just be as clear as you can and the team will be okay with that.
07:30David, you mentioned it was a tricky pitch a few times there.
07:34I mean, to illiterate eyes, it looked like a dry pitch and generally there's a bit of green on a lot's pitch in county cricket and you played a lot of that.
07:41So why do you think it was a tricky pitch?
07:43Can you just elaborate on the tricky bit of it?
07:46Well, I think with the slope, I think the bowlers have the ability to take it obviously with the slope, which means the ball will move more.
07:57And then they also have the ability to take it away with the slope.
08:01So I think just having world class bowlers with a pitch that can move both ways, I think, makes it quite tricky.
08:08David, you said there's a belief to get the runs, but tomorrow is possibly the last day and you have, it's on the threshold of being world champions to get those runs.
08:20Do you embrace that pressure tomorrow about caring for it and saying this is our chance to do what no side has done before?
08:29I think it's just an amazing chance.
08:32And I think we're all very, very excited about the opportunity to win.
08:37Like I said, it could go either way, but I think us as a team are very, very excited and there's a lot of belief in the dressing room.
08:48Thank you very much.