Australia’s skipper Pat Cummins shared a refreshing perspective ahead of the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final, stating it’s “nice to see” a change from the usual India vs Australia fixture. For the first time since the WTC’s inception, India won’t be contesting the final. Instead, Australia and South Africa will face off for the title at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on June 11.
India, who featured in the previous two WTC finals, missed out this time after finishing third in the points table with a 50% points percentage. Reflecting on the changing landscape, Cummins acknowledged India’s consistency in recent ICC events but welcomed the fresh matchup.
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“In some ways, you always expect India to be around,” Pat Cummins told The Guardian. “England are always strong at home, and New Zealand consistently find themselves in finals. But South Africa have also had strong teams in ICC events. It’s just that we don’t see them playing as much Test cricket. So, it’s nice to have a different final — something other than Australia vs India.”
Cummins, who led Australia to their maiden WTC title in 2023 by defeating India, and then repeated his success by winning the 2023 ODI World Cup against the same opposition, will now aim to defend the WTC crown and extend his flawless record in ICC finals.
Addressing criticism over South Africa’s supposedly easier path to the final, Pat Cummins dismissed such notions, emphasizing that every team can only play the opponents in front of them. “You can only beat who you come up against. Sure, our route was tough, but that doesn’t take anything away from South Africa. Their bowling has always been top-class. Keshav Maharaj brings control in spin, and they’ve got a solid pace attack that can test any team,” he noted.
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South Africa faced India, New Zealand (away), West Indies (away), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan in this WTC cycle, finishing with a 69.44% points percentage. In contrast, Australia navigated a tougher path, facing England (away), India, Pakistan, New Zealand (away), and Sri Lanka (away) to reach the summit clash.
