Australia, captained by Pat Cummins, are set to take on South Africa in the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s. While the reigning champions await the big match, Cummins had his say about the encounter, saying that it’s a welcome change to witness a side other than India standing in the final.
Talking to the media before the encounter, Cummins admitted that even though Australia was favourites on paper, South Africa’s journey to the final should not be underestimated. South Africa deserve to be here, Cummins said, putting aside the criticism about the Proteas’ WTC journey.
Several have noted that Temba Bavuma’s team didn’t have to deal with heavyweights such as Australia, India, or England in the WTC 2023–25 cycle. Rather, they qualified for the final through impressive results in short Test series. However, Cummins isn’t convinced by that argument.
“In some ways you expect India to be around. England have been quite strong at home and New Zealand always seem to get to finals. But the same case could be made for South Africa in ICC events,” Cummins told the Guardian.
“We just don’t see a lot of them in Test cricket but it’s nice and different to an Australia-India final,” he added.
“You can only beat who you come up against. Our route to the final was pretty tough but I don’t blame South Africa for having a different route,” he said.
“It’s hard to say because there are so many unknowns. We haven’t played them much but you’ve got to be really well balanced to make the final. Their bowling has always stood out and it’s no different now,” said Cummins.
Although Australia contributes vast experience to the tournament, particularly in red-ball cricket, South Africa’s pace bowling remains a threat. Cummins is aware that his side cannot underestimate the Proteas, particularly on a surface like Lord’s where conditions can turn in either direction.
With both sides coming back to red-ball cricket after a greater than three-months break, the last match assures to provide an enticing fight in a full-strength stadium in London.
