'The wicket definitely slowed down and flattened' - Dale Steyn as South Africa fightback on Day 3 of WTC Final 2025

Dale Steyn opened up on how the ongoing World Test Championship Final 2025 is placed after Day 3 at the Home of Cricket. The former cricketer claimed South Africa will be thinking they would have won the match easily had they claimed wickets a bit too early on Day 1. He felt the last 69 runs would not be easy and expected a tough fight from the Australian bowlers and fielders.

The former South African pacer claimed SA will have to fight the hardest to score 69 runs on Day 4. He agreed that the pitch slowed down and flattened by Day 3, so much so that even the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood batted well.

"This is what Test cricket is all about, as South Africa will be sitting in their dressing room and thinking - had they picked up those two wickets early morning in the 1st session of Day 3 or not bowled as many no-balls, this match would’ve been wrapped up already. But the rollercoaster of Test cricket means we’re back in Day 4 — while 69 runs may sound easy, Australia won’t go down without a fight," he said via JioHotstar Cricket Live.

"These 69 will be the hardest runs South Africa will ever have to earn. This Test has been sensational over three days. The wicket definitely slowed down and flattened on Day 3. You could even see that when Hazlewood and Starc were batting — they made it look easy, rotating strike, finding ones and twos," the ex-pacer added.

Temba, Aiden did exactly what was needed: Steyn

The legendary fast bowler praised the partnership between Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram that took the game away from Australia. He felt Day 3 was the best day to bat in the entire Test match, as one witnessed a lot of scoring in the V, which was absent in the first couple of days.

"Temba and Aiden did exactly what was needed — they put pressure on the bowlers when mistakes were made, whether short or over-pitched deliveries. For the first time in this Test, we saw consistent scoring down the ground — something that was nearly impossible on Days 1 and 2 due to movement and edge threats. Day 3 was all about making hay while the sun was out — and the batters did exactly that," Steyn concluded.

Dale Steyn in awe of Mitchell Starc's abilities

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Dale Steyn in awe of Mitchell Starc's abilities