AIDEN MARKRAM MAKES HISTORY WITH FIRST-EVER CENTURY BY A SOUTH AFRICAN BATTER IN ICC TOURNAMENT FINAL

London: South African batter Aiden Markram became the first Proteas player to score a century in an ICC tournament final, steering his team to the brink of their maiden ICC world title glory.

During a tense 282-run chase at Lord's against Australia on Friday, Markram forged an unbeaten partnership with skipper Temba Bavuma, ending the day with a remarkable 102* off 159 balls and 11 fours. The South African squad is now just a few runs away from winning their first ICC world title.

Markram joined an illustrious list of cricketers who have achieved this milestone at the iconic Lord's ground, including legends like Gordon Greenidge (West Indies), Michael Clarke (Australia), Ajit Agarkar (India), and Don Bradman (Australia).

The innings marked Markram's eighth century in Test cricket but only his third fourth-innings ton, tying him with another group of notable batsmen. By scoring a century at Lord's, he also became the second South African batter to have a wicket and century in the same Test in England, following in the footsteps of legends like Bruce Mitchell and Jacques Kallis.

Despite facing challenges from the Australian bowlers, including a fine spell by Mitchell Starc, Markram demonstrated his exceptional batting skills. The result sets up a nerve-wracking day five, where South Africa will look to seal their maiden world title victory against a determined Australian team.

In other news, Australian paceman Mitchell Starc played one of the finest innings of his life, leading his team to 207/10 from a poor position of 152/9. Wiaan Mulder also scored a fine half-century for South Africa during the second session on day three of the World Test Championship final.

Brief Scores: - Australia: 212 and 207 (Mitchell Starc 58, Alex Carey 43, Kagiso Rabada 4/59) against SA: 138 and 213/2 (Aiden Markram 102, Temba Bavuma 65*, Mitchell Starc 2/37). (ANI)