After WTC final loss, Pat Cummins hints at batting overhaul

Time of India

20 hours ago

Australia's captain Pat Cummins (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Australia's cricket team is considering changes to their batting lineup following their five-wicket loss to South Africa in the World Test Championship final at Lord's on June 15, 2025.
Captain
Pat Cummins
has called for a "reset" as the team prepares for three Tests in the West Indies and a home Ashes series, with particular focus on addressing their struggling top order since David Warner's retirement 17 months ago.
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The new batting arrangement proved unsuccessful in the final, with the top three batsmen only managing a combined total of 49 runs. Marnus Labuschagne, promoted as Usman Khawaja's fifth opening partner since Warner's departure, struggled alongside Cameron Green at number three.
'South Africa kept fighting, deserved champions': Pat Cummins
Khawaja, now 38, continued his poor form against pace bowling, scoring just nought and six in his two innings. Green's performance was equally disappointing, making only four runs in the first innings and a duck in the second.
The team's batting weaknesses were evident in the second innings, saved only by Mitchell Starc's unbeaten fifty and
Alex Carey
's 43, which made South Africa's chase more challenging.
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"There's probably quite a few people in the line-up that wish they could have done a little bit more," Cummins told reporters.
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"The top three was an obvious one in this game."
The situation is complicated by Steve Smith's finger dislocation, making him doubtful for the first West Indies Test. This could open the door for teenager Sam Konstas, who previously played two Tests against India, to return alongside Khawaja.
The team faces several options, including potentially retaining Labuschagne at number three, despite his low Test average of 25.63 in the 2024/25 season.
Josh Inglis, who was in the WTC squad, is another possibility as an opener.
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"We've got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so we'll sit down and have a think after we digest this game," Cummins said. "But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset. It's probably more for the selectors and for me to sit down and map it ahead."
The first Test of the three-match West Indies series begins in Barbados on June 25, marking the start of the 2027 WTC cycle.
The team then faces England in a five-Test Ashes series starting November 20 in Perth.
"Coming to this match, you've got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland and Josh Inglis, all those guys were right on the fringes," Cummins said. "So I think again, after this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation."
Australian media has emphasized the need for change, with The Australian newspaper describing the defeat as a "wake-up call" ahead of the Ashes series, noting that selectors must make decisive calls about the team's future.