Australia will lock horns with South Africa in the much-awaited ICC World Test Championship final. The match is set for June 11 (Wednesday) at the Lords Cricket Ground in London. Ahead of the clash, the Australian captain Pat Cummins revealed their Playing XI from the squad.
Marnus Labuschagne set to open
Marnus Labuschagne, previously the number 1 ranked Test batter has been promoted to open the batting for the Kangaroos along with Usman Khawaja. Captain Pat Cummins shared the reason behind this tactical change, emphasizing Labuschagne’s readiness for the role.
“With Marnus moving, we thought it’s one spot up really. It’s not too different to batting three,” Cummins said. “Marnus has experience, he has done well here at Lord’s and in England in general,” he added.
Pace bowling trio finalized
Josh Hazlewood secured his place in the pace attack, joining forces with left-armer Mitchell Starc and captain Pat Cummins. However, Scott Boland has been edged out for the upcoming Test.
Cummins elaborated on the challenging decision to omit Scott Boland from the lineup and keeping Josh Hazlewood instead.
“There are some guys where you generally say you have done nothing wrong, don’t change a thing, and that’s Scott and he’s just unfortunate to miss out,” the skipper said.
“The message to Scott is there’s a lot of Test matches coming up in the next couple of years, and just because you’re in your mid-30s doesn’t mean you’re missing this Test and that’s the last Test of your career. I think by having a squad of fast bowlers, hopefully, we can extend a lot of careers for an extra couple of years,” Cummins added.
Cameron Green’s comeback
All-rounder Cameron Green is set to return to Test cricket after undergoing back surgery. His inclusion adds versatility to the lineup. Meanwhile, Beau Webster holds his position in the XI, contributing with both medium-pace bowling and spin options to support the attack.
Youngster Sam Konstas sidelined
The selectors decided to exclude 19-year-old Sam Konstas from the XI, favouring Labuschagne’s experience. Cummins acknowledged the youngster’s potential despite the disappointment.
“Realistically, he is really young, he’s got a long career ahead of him and hopefully, even by not playing, we can show him their learning opportunities,” Cummins expressed.
Australia Playing XI
Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Australia Full Squad
Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins(captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Matthew Kuhnemann.