Cummins Pats 'Worthy Winners' SA For WTC Triumph: 'Demonstrated Why They...'
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Australia skipper Pat Cummins reflected on their loss to South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship final, noting an extra batting session could have changed the outcome.
After Australia's attempt to retain their International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship title ended in a five-wicket loss to South Africa at Lord's, captain Pat Cummins remarked that the outcome might have been different if his team had managed to bat for one more session in the crucial match.
Despite holding a 74-run lead after the first innings, Australia failed to prevent South Africa from successfully chasing down 282 on Saturday afternoon. 'Things can change quickly, but unfortunately, it was beyond our reach. With a solid first-innings lead, that's when you aim to bat the opposition out of the game, and we didn't manage to do that."
'If we had batted for another session, the conditions might have favoured us more. South Africa were excellent in that fourth innings. The pitch didn't offer much, but they gave us no chances. They demonstrated why they are here and are worthy winners, maintaining their position throughout," stated a disappointed Cummins during the post-match presentation.
When questioned if the collapse in the second innings, where Australia were reduced to 73/7, was due to conditions or the top order's performance, Cummins responded, 'A bit of both. It's been an amazing two years, and the team has performed exceptionally to reach this point. It just didn't come together in this match. For the first two days, the bowlers were fantastic and consistently made the ball move, so it was probably a combination of both factors."
First Published:
June 14, 2025, 19:36 IST
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