South African pace legend Dale Steyn has urged caution despite his country’s strong position in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s. While South Africa sit comfortably at 213/2, needing just 69 more runs to clinch their first-ever WTC title and their first senior men’s ICC trophy since 1998, Steyn believes the final hurdle could be the most difficult of all.

Speaking after the fourth day’s play, Steyn reminded fans and pundits alike that Test cricket is never over until the final run is scored.

“There’s still 69 runs to get, and while that may sound simple, these will be 69 of the hardest runs South Africa will ever fight for,” he said. “Australia aren’t the kind of team that rolls over. They’ll come hard tomorrow. South Africa will have to scrap for every run if they want to win this.”

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Australia looked to have the upper hand when they set a target of 282 and picked up two early wickets, reducing South Africa to 70/2. However, the tide turned dramatically thanks to a resilient and composed 143-run partnership between skipper Temba Bavuma and centurion Aiden Markram. But even with just 69 runs left to get and eight wickets in hand, Steyn insisted the job is far from done.

He also credited the Lord’s pitch for offering a rich mix of conditions throughout the match. “The pitch had some spice on the first two days, but it flattened out beautifully today with the sun shining. That’s classic English Test cricket — you never quite know what to expect. Tomorrow could bring new challenges. It might stay flat, or the ball could start doing a bit again,” Dale Steyn observed.

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Weather could also play a role on the final day. While the conditions have held well so far, forecasts predict potential thunderstorms. However, enough sunshine is expected to allow play — and possibly, South Africa’s historic moment — to unfold.