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News.com.au
22 minutes ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
World Test Championship final 2025: How Australia, South Africa qualified
Australia will play South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's, striving to defend the title it won two years ago when it defeated India. But first — how did we get here? Let's look back at Australia's run to the decider that will crown the best Test nation on the planet. The Aussies' road to the final began in June 2023, spanning six Test series and ending with an away series victory over Sri Lanka in February. Their journey, under coach Andrew McDonald, was full of highs and devastating lows and, at times, marred with controversy. The Ashes England v Australia (June – July 2023) Australia's campaign got off to a blockbuster start with the Ashes in England, a seesawing affair that finished in a 2-2 draw. It was a series that will long live in Ashes memory, not for the result but for the controversy that lived up to the centuries-old rivalry. After racing to a 2-0 lead it looked like Australia were poised to win their first series on English soil since 2001. But the lead came at a cost. Nathan Lyon went down in the second Test with a calf injury and missed the remainder of the series. Buoyed by its Bazball aggression, England roared back, levelling the series 2-2 in a gripping finale during which Stuart Broad took the last two wickets in his final Test match. But it was Alex Carey's stumping of Jonny Bairstow that will be remembered most. The incident triggered a maelstrom of debate about the 'spirit of the game' and some heated scenes in the Lord's Long Room during the lunch break. Benaud-Qadir Trophy Australia v Pakistan (December 2023 – January 2024) Next up for Australia was Pakistan in the second edition of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy. Named after two prolific spin bowlers (Abdul Qadir of Pakistan and Australia's Richie Benaud), it was a fitting stage for one of the greatest spinners to return from injury and leave his mark in the history books. Before Lyon stole the show, it was David Warner's time to shine in his farewell tour. The veteran opener set the tone for what would be a dominant 3-0 series sweep, smashing 164 off 211 in a vintage knock. But it was Lyon joining an echelon of bowling greats that was the highlight of the summer. An overturned LBW review delivered the Aussie his 500th Test wicket, and he became the third Australian behind Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath to reach the rare milestone. Frank Worrell Trophy Australia v West Indies (January 2024) After a one-sided victory against Pakistan, Australia looked set for another dominant series following a commanding ten wicket win in the opening Test against the West Indies. What followed shocked the cricket world. The Frank Worrell Trophy was never supposed to be close. The Caribbean cricket nation hadn't beaten Australia in a Test since 2003. And a series win? You'd have to go back all the way to 1992-93. But with an energetic young bowler leading the charge, history had other ideas. Playing in just his second Test, Shamar Joseph tore through Australia with a staggering 7/68 – including the victory-sealing thunderbolt that cleaned up Hazlewood's off-stump to send the visitors into raptures of celebration. The famous win ended a 27-year drought on Australian soil and levelled the series 1-1. The win was even more remarkable given Australia's dominance in the first Test. Hazlewood took nine wickets, Head was in one of his moods and it was all wrapped up on the third morning. Despite still retaining the Frank Worrell trophy with the draw, it was a bad loss for Australia – and they had dropped critical WTC points with tougher opponents ahead. Trans-Tasman Trophy New Zealand v Australia (February – March 2024) After their shock loss to the West Indies, Australia were determined to show it was still the best in the world. And what better way to show that than to re-establish your dominance over Tasman rivals. New Zealand's last series win was in 1989-90, and Australia weren't about to end that streak. Cameron Green blasted an unbeaten 174 and the Kiwis looked in all sorts facing a rampaging Aussie attack in their first contest. A top order collapse from the Aussies gave their opposition a sniff in the following match, but the class of Mitchell Marsh and Carey's 140-run sixth wicket stand steered them to a series sweep. Border-Gavaskar Trophy Australia v India (November 2024 – January 2025) An unproven batting line-up and India's recent dominance set the stage for a hugely-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy. And it didn't disappoint, with captivating debuts, Bumrah brilliance, and fiery on-field exchanges, it was Test cricket at its best. It was a brutal start for Australia — a Jasprit Bumrah masterclass fit for the best bowler on the planet tore through their top-order. Desperate to turn around a 295-run loss, it was Head who provided the fuel that lit a fire through the whole team. His rapid-fire century (140 off 141) was the catalyst Australia desperately needed. A draw at the Gabba set up a blockbuster Boxing Day Test, where a new name entered the global cricket stratosphere. Opening the batting on debut. In front of 87,242 people at the MCG. Facing the world's most feared bowler. Most would falter. But Sam Konstas didn't blink. Fearless, captivating and electrifying – the 19-year-old's ramp-heavy innings provided edge-of-your-seat entertainment worthy of a box-office blockbuster. While only brief, it turned an unknown teen into a national sensation, and Australia rode that momentum to a resounding 184-run win, before icing the series in Sydney. By lifting the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade with a 3-1 win, Australia had stared down adversity and smashed it for six. Warne-Muralitharan Trophy Sri Lanka v Australia (January – February 2025) Australia's recent Test form had been almost flawless, but with a WTC final on the line, would the trickier conditions of subcontinent cricket trip them up? The answer: a resounding no. Australia didn't just beat Sri Lanka twice — it steamrolled them. And if Smith wasn't already considered one of the best batsmen ever, his form in Sri Lanka would have changed some stubborn minds. The hosts' demoralising defeats began with a spectacular Usman Khawaja performance, the opener bringing up his maiden double century. But it was the summer of Smith as Australia stampeded to a win by an innings and 242 runs, followed by nine-wicket victory. Following on from his twin tons against India, Smith reached another two centuries, bringing his career tally to an incredible 36. It was a significant moment for Australian cricket on the first day of the series as Smith scored his 10,000th Test run, cementing himself as one of the best to ever hold a Willow bat. South Africa's journey It's been a successful few years for South African cricket, the Proteas finishing on top of the standings after winning four of six Test series. After beginning slowly with a drawn series against India and a 0-2 defeat to New Zealand, South Africa quickly gained momentum. They won the next four series without dropping a match, defeating West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan on the way to the WTC decider.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Cam Green tipped to return for WTC final
Cricket: Australia is tipped to tweak the top of their batting order as they prepare to welcome back Cameron Green for the WTC final.
ABC News
6 hours ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Australia's Travis Head praises "optional" training ahead of World Test Championship final
Star batter Travis Head has opened up on how Australia's different approach to training has helped set up an era of success. Australia is aiming for back-to-back World Test Championship titles when it faces South Africa at Lord's in the decider. Since 2021, Australia has collected three ICC trophies — the ODI and T20 World Cups, and the second edition of the WTC in 2023. Despite having limited time to prepare for the one-off Test with the Proteas — Australia's first red-ball match since February — Head is confident the XI will be ready to hit the ground running. "Gone are the days of an optional session that wasn't optional," Head said. "It was optional if you wanted, but naughty if you didn't. "So it was the optional 'yes' session. "It was the optional 'must be there'. "We're in a great environment now where we're backed to be able to prepare how we want, and come in at different drop points." Head has thrived since Andrew McDonald became head coach in 2022, taking over after Justin Langer's messy exit from the job following the 4-0 Ashes win in Australia. Follow every ball of the World Test Championship final with the ABC Sport live blog, and the live commentary between Australia and South Africa at Lord's. The aggressive left-hander has become one of world cricket's best big game players. He starred with a player-of-the-match performance when Australia defeated India in the 2023 WTC final at The Oval, smashing a game-changing 163. Head proved it was no fluke only months later when he inspired Australia to a memorable upset of India at a hostile Ahmedabad in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. "I feel like we've been in so many big games," Head said. "I have pride in the way I play, and I want to contribute every time I play. "I put pressure on myself no matter, regardless of the situation or what kind of game I play in. "So good things, bad things. "I don't see it any bigger this week than what's to come. "If you look at it through that lens, what's the worst that can happen? "Playing a final at Lords, it's a cool thing to be involved in." After opening with Usman Khawaja for Australia's two Tests in Sri Lanka, Head will move back to No.5 against the Proteas. Marnus Labuschagne is expected to move up from No.3 to open with Khawaja, with fit-again Cameron Green to bat in the top-three. Captain Pat Cummins is expected to confirm Australia's XI when he conducts his pre-match press conference at Lord's on Tuesday. AAP
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Pat Cummins ‘We want to play hard and fair, and I think we've got it right'
As Pat Cummins opens up at the pavilion end, while gazing across the vast empty space of Lord's a few days before Australia face South Africa in the World Test Championship final, it's clear that the unexpected opponents this week have helped to frame his remarkable career. On Wednesday morning, while towering a foot over Temba Bavuma, his 5ft 3in South African counterpart, Cummins will lead Australia for the 34th time, in his 68th Test. The fast bowler stands at the summit of world cricket, his grizzled matinee idol charm allied to the grit which has helped him to become such a successful captain. Australia have won almost everything during his tenure of three and a half years and they are expected to retain their Test title. But South Africa have been at the heart of the darker moments, from sporting humiliation to moral ignominy, which have dented Australian cricket since Cummins made his international debut. As a teenager he was selected for Australia's tour of South Africa in 2011. Cummins was 12th man for the first Test at Newlands in Cape Town, which would be the site of the sandpaper scandal that shredded Australia's reputation in 2018, and he watched in shock as his teammates were bowled out for 47 and crushed in two and a half days. 'That was my first real taste of Test cricket, inside the changing room,' Cummins says ruefully. 'I remember being really nervous, even though I wasn't playing, and fielded for two overs. One ball got hit to me and I fumbled it. I was an 18-year-old thinking: 'Wow, I'm in the middle of all this.'' Cummins was called up for the second Test in Johannesburg against a great South Africa side including Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Morné Morkel. 'It felt like the real deal. I'd played a little T20 for Australia where there was a comfort level. But being around Test cricket, and seeing some greats of the game I'd grown up watching on TV, made me think: 'Oh, this is real.' I was playing alongside Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey and feeling confused as to how I ended up in that position.' Cummins took seven wickets, including six in South Africa's second innings, before scoring an unbeaten 13 as he and Mitchell Johnson steered Australia to a nerve-shredding target of 310 eight wickets down. Named player of the match on his debut, Cummins was flying. Yet he didn't play another Test for five years and four months as his injury-ravaged body struggled with the demands of professional cricket. Cummins is grateful now for that delay and he tells a couple of self-deprecating stories which reflect his character. 'It had all come quite easy. Before that tour I'd played three first‑class games and in lots of ways I'd no right to be in the team. I was very fortunate but then it all comes crashing down. The next few years there were lots of injuries and questions: 'Am I good enough? Do I have to find a real job?' It was tough and you're trying to enter the world as an adult. But I learnt patience and consistency and, in some ways, I was very lucky to not have it all on a plate.' His parents also grounded him. 'One of their biggest worries was me getting too big for my boots and, no doubt, I probably did at certain times. There was one instance where I was doing uni part-time. I met the vice-chancellor, who I later found out was the most important person at university. I'd thought: 'Oh, it can't be that serious if he's vice.' He welcomed me to university and I tried my luck. I was catching the train to uni and it was a nuisance so I said: 'Do you have any car park spots you could give me?' Very politely he said: 'No, but maybe we can find you a paid parking spot.' I told Mum and she went ballistic, which was never her style.' The 32-year-old's smile is tangled. He lost his mother, Maria, to cancer in 2023 but, with affection, he remembers her saying: ''How dare you ask for that? Who do you think you are?' She made me email him back to say: 'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.'' Eighteen months later he met his wife, Becky, who comes from Harrogate in Yorkshire. They were in a bar in Sydney and Cummins told her he was a student. 'I was into my second or third recurrence of a back stress-fracture. I was a part-time uni student doing rehab so I would have felt a fraud if I'd said I was a professional cricketer.' His cover was blown when, soon after they met, Becky turned a corner in Sydney and saw Cummins wearing his whites in a giant KFC poster. There will be no escaping his importance this week and Cummins pauses when I ask if he is surprised to be facing South Africa. '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. We just don't see a lot of them in Test cricket but it's nice and different to an Australia-India final.' He shrugs off Michael Vaughan's comments that, after beating 'pretty much nobody', South Africa 'don't warrant being in the final'. Cummins says: '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.'As to how South Africa might perform at Lord's, Cummins says: 'It's hard to say because there are so many unknowns. We haven't played them much [with their last Test series ending in an easy Australian victory at home in 2022-23] 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. [Keshav] Maharaj is a really solid spinner and they've always got plenty of quick bowlers who pose a challenge.' Kagiso Rabada, the spearhead of South Africa's bowling attack, recently served a one-month ban recently after testing positive for cocaine. There has been speculation in South Africa that Australia will sledge Rabada mercilessly. 'It's not really our style,' Cummins says. 'I'd be surprised if that came up.'Australia have made legitimate changes to their abrasive cricket since the 2018 sandpaper saga against South Africa. Cummins, who is an ambassador for New Balance, exemplifies the improved reputation. But the ball-tampering saga remains an awkward topic. He listens quietly while I tell him about my 2021 interview with Cameron Bancroft who, as a callow opening batter trying to find his way in Test cricket, followed instructions to use sandpaper to rough up the ball. His captain, Steve Smith, David Warner and Bancroft were banned and the batter, when pressed on whether any of the bowlers had known of the plan, told me that 'it's probably self-explanatory'. Cummins took seven wickets in that Test, which Australia lost heavily, and I ask if he really had no idea what was being done to the ball. 'I don't want to talk about it,' he says bluntly. He concedes, however, that the fate of his two predecessors, Smith and Tim Paine, who both resigned tearfully, made him apprehensive about assuming the captaincy in 2021. 'There was a lot of trepidation. One, because I was uncertain how I was going to go as a captain. I didn't really have any experience. But also trepidation because it's a big role and things can turn against you overnight. Part of me thought: 'Maybe captaincy isn't for me.' But there're enough great parts of the job I really enjoy.' Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion What are the hardest aspects? 'When things aren't going well and you've got to be the front of that. You've got to keep everyone positive, chat to media, keep the team aligned. But I've been very lucky that there haven't been too many of those moments. When they have cropped up, the playing group bands together and makes us stronger.' This week marks the first Test that Australia have played at Lord's since the drama two years ago when England were chasing a big total with an inspired Ben Stokes and a pugnacious Jonny Bairstow at the crease. The last ball of the 52nd over flew harmlessly into the gloves of the Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Bairstow thought he had made sure he was in his crease before strolling down the pitch. Carey threw the ball and hit the stumps, Australia appealed and the umpire, who hadn't called for the end of the over, raised his finger. There was outrage in the ground and the Long Room where the florid anger of many MCC members was accompanied by booing and shouts of 'shame' as the Australians walked past. Warner and Usman Khawaja were even confronted by heated England supporters. 'It was a series with such high emotion,' Cummins says. 'Everyone was so wound up but my gut reaction was pretty similar to what I feel now. If you take all the emotion away it's just a simple out and you don't need to make it any bigger. It's out, move on. I've seen it happen before.' When Cummins missed the Champions Trophy this year his stand-in, Smith, withdrew a run‑out appeal after Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad ambled out of his crease in a group game. It suggested some kind of change in Australian attitudes, but Cummins says: 'I can't remember that specifically. Sorry. I think it was slightly different circumstances but, look, we want to play hard and fair and I think over my tenure we've got it right just about every time.' Would he do it again? 'Yes,' Cummins says firmly of Bairstow's stumping. The view in the Australian camp is that England would do the same and they 'tried it three times' previously. All this is said calmly, five months before Ashes hostilities resume in Australia. Cummins is vague about England's excitement around Jacob Bethell – he has heard the talk 'a little bit,' adding: 'When he batted [on his Test debut in New Zealand] was it three? I haven't seen much.' He also glosses over England's current uncertainty around their injury‑riddled bowling attack. 'I don't really care. It feels so long away.' Cummins admits that his all-conquering team are approaching the end of an era. 'Yes. No doubt. We've got quite a few players who are past their mid-30s and there seems to be a natural attrition rate into the late‑30s. If you'd asked me a year or two ago I would have said: 'It's going to be a huge change. There's a little bit to be worried about.' But we've seen Josh Inglis, Sam Konstas, [Nathan] McSweeney debut throughout [Australia's] summer. [Beau] Webster's come in plus a few others have debuted in white-ball cricket. I don't think the transition will be as jarring as we first thought.' Does he have concerns about the future of Test cricket – the format he loves most? 'Yes and no. In Australia, no. Each summer it seems to get stronger and stronger. The ticket sales for the Ashes are just berserk the last week. But that's not the reality for many Test-playing nations and one of the beauties about Test cricket is playing in totally different conditions with different challenges. I'd hate Test cricket to turn into only a couple of nations.' In 25 years will Australia and England still be playing Tests against Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa? 'It's really hard to say. I hope so. But if we just let things play out, probably not. There needs to be some intervention and finding a way – maybe its dedicated windows for franchise cricket. I really hope so because they are cricket-loving nations as well. They're always going to have good players and [offer] a tough challenge.' Can Cummins play for another five years? 'Yes, I'd hope so. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are a couple of years older than me, but they don't show any signs of slowing up. I'm trying to look after myself and I'd love to play in my mid-30s. I feel great and physically as good as I have in a few years. I love the job and just want to keep doing it – particularly in Test cricket. I want to keep playing for a long time and do it with good people while making it fun and hopefully winning along the way.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Good enough': Pat Cummins' eye-opening call about Aussie opener for WTC final
Australia captain Pat Cummins has the chance to become the first skipper to lead his team to back-to-back World Test Cricket Championships. In a one-on-one sit-down interview with Yahoo Sport Australia ahead of this week's final against South Africa at Lord's, he spoke about Australia's "good" problem at the top of the order, Kagiso Rabada's return from a drugs ban, the MCC members and even Ange Postecoglou's Spurs sacking. Speaking two days out from the start of the final, Cummins insists nothing is set in concrete as far as the top order is concerned. But it appears Marnus Labuschagne may have his nose in front of Sam Konstas for the vacant opening position, with Cameron Green likely to bat at 3. "There are three or four guys to fit into one spot and you can mount a case for basically any one of them. It's a really good problem to have. The selectors will get together in the next 48 hours and have a good look at the wicket and stay open-minded," he said. "Marn's batted three pretty much his whole career and there's been many games where he's walked out in the first over against the swinging ball. I know a lot of the batters probably say it makes a difference where they bat in the order, but for me he's good enough to play anywhere. "It tends to be that way (Labuschagne at his best when cornered). In the ODI World Cup, it was almost like every game was pretty close to (possibly being the end) but he hung in there and finds a way." Now into its third edition, the World Test Championship has fast become a coveted title. Australia has the chance to become the first team to win consecutive crowns. "I think the journey to make a final is tough. You've got to win away and home across two years and you need a real strong squad of players," Cummins pointed out. "For us, it's hugely relevant and a huge achievement to make the final. The opportunity to go back-to-back's really big." RELATED: Cricket world stunned as rival joins Glenn Maxwell in immediate exit Mitchell Starc's sad career call after difficult decision with wife They're a side we don't know super well in red ball cricket but have played most of them in white ball. And playing them with a Duke's (ball) over in England, you can't quite match it up exactly to previous tours. What we do know is they will be strong with both bat and ball." The South African quick's speedy return following a reduced drugs ban raised a few eyebrows in the cricketing world, as did his follow-up comments that he expects a verbal barrage from the Aussies. Cummins said: "He's always up for a Test match. He gets them going and is pretty fiery. I'm sure he will be a challenge but our batters are up for it," Cummins said. "I think all our batters can look at their attack and where we've done well against him and draw confidence from that." As for the Rabada drugs controversy, the Aussie skipper said: "It's got nothing to do with us. He can play so it doesn't really bother us." The last time the Australians were at Lord's for a Test match, all hell broke loose after the members physically and verbally attacked the tourists in the wake of the Jonny Bairstow stumping. Measures have been put in place to keep members away from the players, but Cummins is not expecting any lingering hostility. "The good thing about London is there's lots of Aussies here and they are keen to come to the game," he said. "I think it's pretty packed crowds for most of the days and it'll be interesting to see (the support levels for both teams). It always feel like we've got pretty decent support here." While Australia's first point of business is the WTC final, there is no escaping the Ashes buzz in England. The Poms, for their part, are promising to tweak their Bazball approach while dropping some of the corporate talk. "Everyone's already talking about it but I don't see too much connection from this to the Ashes," Cummins said. "But if we go into the summer holding two maces, that would be a nice thing for our group to do. I haven't seen anything (about walking back from Bazball), because I'm always just worried about what we do and not too bothered about what the opposition do." Cummins holds the highest office in Australian sport and was in London when Spurs dropped the axe on manager Ange Postecoglou just 16 days after the club's Europa Cup success. He empathises with his fellow Aussie and cricket tragic, saying: "It's a shame to see, especially after winning that trophy. I know the league's been a bit tough, but he's been a successful coach for a long time and I'm sure he'll bounce back and another team will snap him up pretty quickly." The ICC World Test Championship final (June 11-15) is on Prime Video and available to all members in Australia at no additional cost to their membership. Coverage starts 7.30pm (AEST). Pat Cummins is a Prime Video ambassador.
