Pat Cummins remembers India ahead of SA vs AUS WTC final: Australia captain says playing South Africa is ‘different'
The ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 is all set to take place between Australia and South Africa. The match will be held at Lord's, London, from June 14–18, with a reserve day on June 19. What makes this final even more historic is that India, for the first time, have not qualified for the WTC final.
Australian captain Pat Cummins spoke about India not being in the final. While speaking to The Guardian, he mentioned about Australia's archrivals.
'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,' he said.
'But, the same case could be made for South Africa in ICC events. We just don't see a lot of them in Test cricket but it's nice and different to an Australia-India final,' Cummins added.
India featured in both previous WTC Finals, against New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2023. But, India narrowly missed out this time. South Africa's consistent red-ball performance under tough overseas conditions earned them a well-deserved spot.
Australia, the defending champions, will now look to retain the WTC trophy. Meanwhile, South Africa are eyeing their first major ICC trophy in years.
Michael Vaughan earlier criticised South Africa. The former England captain said the Proteas had reached the World Test Championship final without beating strong teams. He felt they didn't deserve their spot.
England have yet to reach a WTC final. This year, they are Number 5 in the standings behind India and New Zealand, respectively.
While reacting to Vaughan's comments, Cummins defended Temba Bavuma's boys.
According to Cummins, teams can only beat whoever they play and that South Africa just had a different path to the final. When asked about their chances at Lord's, Cummins admitted it's hard to predict.
'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. Maharaj is a really solid spinner, and they've always got plenty of quick bowlers who pose a challenge,' Cummins said.
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