The much-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa kicked off at Lord’s, London, on June 11, 2025. With both teams fielding their strongest lineups and history at stake, the opening session was always going to be intense. South Africa, playing their first-ever WTC final, won the toss and chose to field, immediately putting Australia’s batting order under pressure. The early exchanges set the tone for a gripping contest, but it was Usman Khawaja’s shocking dismissal for a duck that stole the spotlight—and the ire of fans online.

Kagiso Rabada’s skillful set up sends Usman Khawaja packing in WTC final

Khawaja, Australia’s experienced opener, walked out with the hopes of anchoring the innings in this high-stakes final. Instead, he endured a torrid 20-ball stay at the crease, unable to get off the mark. Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s spearhead, was relentless, probing with a wobbly seam from around the wicket and consistently hitting a good length outside off. On the 6.3 over mark, Rabada delivered a fourth-stump line that squared Khawaja up; the Australian was caught on the crease, edged the ball, and David Bedingham at first slip took a sharp, wobbling catch.

Khawaja’s final score read: 0 runs off 20 balls, with a strike rate of 0.00—an innings that invited immediate trolling from fans on social media. Memes and sarcastic comments flooded platforms, with many questioning Khawaja’s place in the side, especially after a season where his form had already been under scrutiny. For a player of his experience, such a high-profile failure only intensified the online backlash.

South Africa’s decision to bowl first paid off handsomely as their pace attack, led by Rabada, made early inroads. After Khawaja’s dismissal at 12 runs, Rabada struck again almost immediately, removing Cameron Green for just 4 runs. By the end of 19 overs, Australia found themselves reeling at 47/3, with only Travis Head and Steve Smith holding the fort.

The pitch, softened by a dry English summer but still offering enough for the bowlers, allowed South Africa’s quicks to exploit any indecision. Rabada’s figures—6 overs, 4 maidens, 9 runs, 2 wickets—underline his dominance and intent to erase memories of past struggles against Australia. With the likes of Beau Webster, and Alex Carey yet to bat, Australia’s famed batting lineup faces a stern test against a fired-up Proteas attack.

Also READ: WTC 2025 Final: Harbhajan Singh reveals secret behind Australia’s ICC trophy dominance

Here’s how fans reacted:

Usman Khawaja said – Age is irrelevant to me. If I'm still enjoying my game, training really hard, scoring runs, contributing well, I've still got the hunger.🤣 pic.twitter.com/k0dxOYaJx5

— Satish Mishra 🇮🇳 (@SATISHMISH78) June 11, 2025

Usman Khwaja getting out on Duck in the first innings of WTC final, we’ve seen this before🙃

— Aditi (@Sev_Khamani) June 11, 2025

usman khwaja most overrated tes batsman i've ever seen

— ♯soma卐 (@5KUNZ19_) June 11, 2025

Usman Khwaja often reminds me of Babar. Brilliant in patches but then a horrible drought

— Sherry 🇵🇰 (@Sherryy56) June 11, 2025

#WTCFinal Usman khwaja is Gone like in BGT

— Jethalal Gada (@andbhaakkt) June 11, 2025

Aussie openers who faced most balls in a Test inns and got out for a duck:

David Warner – 22b vs ENG @ Hobart, 2022

Shaun Marsh – 21b vs IND @ Pune, 2017

Sammy Jones – 20b vs ENG @ Sydney, 1888

Usman Khawaja – 20b vs SA @ Lord's, 2025*#WTC2025 #WTCFinals #SAvAUS

— sudharshan sridharan (@sudharshansrid1) June 11, 2025

𝑲𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒔𝒐 𝑹𝒂𝒃𝒂𝒅𝒂 𝑾𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝑨𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝑬𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒚! 🇿🇦⚡🥶

He dismissed Usman Khawaja for a 20-ball duck and Cameron Green for just 4 — both in a single over 🔥🤝#KagisoRabada #AUSvSA #WTCFinal pic.twitter.com/S8fJPKV9oS

— Root Jaiswal (@JaiswalRoot) June 11, 2025

0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 🦆

An absolutely majestic and perfect innings from Usman Khawaja to start the WTC final 🔥🥵 pic.twitter.com/JM57NGbLhV

— Ali Akram (@MuhammadAli7098) June 11, 2025

KAGISO RABADA STRIKES FOR SOUTH AFRICA.

– A 20 ball duck for Usman Khawaja. pic.twitter.com/HLdQOAplAI

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 11, 2025

Usman Khawaja pic.twitter.com/8hZlNgCURW

— 🧬😴 (@P4UT0RRES) June 11, 2025

Also WATCH: Aiden Markram plucks a blinder to dismiss Cameron Green on Day 1 of WTC 2025 Final – SA vs AUS