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Steve Smith, one of greatest batters of all-time, has fallen to South African part-timer Aiden Markram just before tea in the World Test Championship final.
Seemingly cruising towards a 37th century, Steve Smith has fallen to South Africa part-time spinner Aiden Markram, leaving Australia 5-190 at tea on day one of the World Test Championship final at Lord's.
After crashing to 4-67 at lunch, Australia took advantage of the sun coming out and the lights being switched off in the second session.
Smith, who belted four centuries from his last five Tests leading into the WTC decider, was enjoying batting on what he has described as his favourite ground outside of his SCG home.
But on 66, the former Australia captain lost concentration and edged an unspectacular Markram delivery to lanky Proteas quick Marco Jansen.
Standing at 206cm, Jansen managed to juggle the catch in the slips, giving Markram just his fourth Test wicket and ending a 79-run stand.
Becoming the highest-scoring visiting batter in Tests at Lord's, Smith was left in disbelief at being dismissed by Markram after getting through lethal spells from Jansen and Kagiso Rabada.
Allrounder Beau Webster (55no) survived some nervous moments to post his second Test fifty and was unbeaten at tea with Alex Carey (22no).
The Australian wicketkeeper was given a warm reception from the Lord's crowd, despite being at the centre of controversy for his infamous stumping when he was last at the famous ground for a Test.
South Africa used two unsuccessful reviews on Webster, but failed to refer a third which would have had the towering Tasmanian trapped lbw for eight.
In the first session, Rabada struck twice in four balls to leave Australia reeling at 2-16.
After Australia were sent in to bat by South Africa captain Temba Bavuma underneath overcast skies in London, Rabada ran riot in the seventh over.
The Proteas firebrand, who recently served a one-match ban for testing positive to cocaine, removed Usman Khawaja (a 20-ball duck) and Cameron Green (four).
In his first Test since March 2024, fit-again Green hit his first delivery to the boundary at fine leg in a promising start.
But the 26-year-old was gone just two balls later, edging a Rabada rocket to slips where he was superbly caught by Aiden Markram.
Marnus Labuschagne, in his first innings as a Test opener, started brightly to get through until drinks.
But as he often has during the last two years, the under-pressure Queenslander struggled to keep the score ticking over.
Labuschagne got caught between playing a shot and leaving a Marco Jansen delivery, nicking off for 17 from 56 balls.
The 30-year-old, who was once described as having "opening-itis", won the battle to be Khawaja's fifth opening partner in 18 months over teenager Sam Konstas.
The spectre of Konstas, one of Australian cricket's rising stars, will now loom even larger for the upcoming three-Test tour of the West Indies.
Labuschagne's last Test century came back in July 2023 at Manchester.
Travis Head, who starred with a matchwinning 163 in Australia's WTC final triumph in 2023, was out on the final ball before lunch.
Wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne hung on to a screamer down leg side off Jansen's bowling to send Head (11) on his way.
South Africa, who won seven-straight Tests to qualify for the final, are attempting to break a title drought in ICC tournaments dating back to 1998.
This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which is broadcasting the World Test Championship final.