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NDTV
6 days ago
- General
- NDTV
Pat Cummins Confirms Steve Smith's Batting Position For Australia In WTC Final: "Not Willing..."
Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that star batter Steve Smith will be batting at number four during the much-anticipated ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at the Lord's. With the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 fast approaching and set for June 11, Australia have zeroed in on an important batting decision. With multiple alternatives in contention to take the centre-stage, skipper Cummins has named batting icon Steve Smith to occupy a crucial spot in the middle order. In a recent conversation with The Grade Cricketer on Prime Video Australia, Cummins stated as quoted by ICC, "I can confirm that Smudge will be batting at four. Everyone else, I am not willing to, but I can confirm Steve Smith will be number four." Smith, who has batted most of his Test career at number four, boasts 6531 runs from 120 Test innings at the slot, averaging 61.61. This includes 23 centuries and 26 fifties. The veteran batter had also starred in Australia's triumph in the previous WTC Final in 2023, scoring a first-innings century that helped set the tone for a big win. As they prepare to defend the WTC mace, Cummins opened up on the prospect of becoming the first team to do so since the inception of the tournament in 2019. "After winning in 2023, there is a lot of talk of trying to retain it. Go and defend it. It is not tangible until you actually make the final," he said. "Now that we have made it, it will be pretty cool to win another ICC trophy. Playing at Lord's, it is a tournament that every other Test-playing nation is vying for so, it just signifies a pretty good couple of years," Cummins said. The Australian captain also highlighted the significance of the tournament and the challenges it presented. "I think it shows performance over two years. But there are varying conditions. Even in ICC World Cups, it is normally very similar conditions," he said. "A Test tournament, you have got to go and win basically everything at home, but for us, we had to go to Sri Lanka and win in tough spinning conditions," Pat Cummins said. "Go over to New Zealand, and beat a really strong side at home. So, I think it shows that you have really got to be a complete team over a couple-year stretch to make the final," he said. "We just missed out that first year (2019-2021), but I think we are a better side now than we were back then. We lost a couple of games at home. But, yeah, I think two (WTC titles) would be incredible. One, I think, is still a pretty good demonstration of how good we've been over the past few years," the Australian captain said. While Australia will be featuring in their second successive WTC final, South Africa made it to their first by topping the World Test Championship standings. Cummins showered praise on the Proteas, and believes the Temba Bavuma-led side has multiple match-winners in their midst to pose a challenge. "They always seem to compete in every tournament. They have got a lot of experience, especially the white-ball teams - they play across different franchise leagues. Rabada, Maharaj, Bavuma, they have played a lot of cricket over the years," said the Aussie skipper. "They have really good fast bowlers, they always seem to have not just one or two main guys but they have got four-six guys they can call," he said. "And yeah, some batters, you have not seen much (of them), but they have scored plenty of domestic runs. (We have) played most of the guys in the squad, certainly not everyone. There is always a little bit of mystique around South Africa, because we do not play them as often as, say India," he concluded.
News18
6 days ago
- General
- News18
'Smudge Will Be Batting At Number...': AUS Skipper Pat Cummins' Huge Reveal Ahead Of WTC Final
Last Updated: Much was speculated regarding Smith's fit in the batting lineup, with many suggesting that the Aussies might consider sending the talisman batter out to open the innings for them. When the stakes are high, it's best to play to your strengths. And the stakes sure don't get much higher when a World Test Championship is on the line. Well, Australia skipper Pat Cummins has followed suit, announcing that talisman batter Steve Smith will take to the crease for the side at No. 4, ahead of the World Test Championship final. Australia's upcoming World Test Championship final against South Africa is set to take place at Lord's from June 11-15. Smith, who has thrived playing at No. 4 for the Aussies in Tests, with 23 centuries and 26 fifties under his belt from the same position, was one of their saviours back in the 2023 WTC Final against India as well, where he slammed a first-innings century which set the stage for Australia to win and claim the title. Much has been speculated regarding Smith's fit in the batting lineup, with many suggesting that the men from down under might consider sending the talisman batter out to open the innings for them. In a conversation with The Grade Cricketer on Prime Video Australia, Cummins shut down all rumours and confirmed that Smith will take to the crease from the No.4 position only. 'I can confirm that Smudge will be batting at four. Everyone else, I'm not willing to confirm, but I can confirm Steve Smith will be number four," said Cummins. Australia is on the verge of becoming the first team to win back-to-back WTC titles, and Cummins spoke about the challenges of competing in the two-year championship cycle. 'After winning (in 2023), there's a lot of talk of trying to retain it. Go and defend it. It's not tangible until you actually make the final. Now that we've made it, it'll be pretty cool to win another ICC trophy." 'You've really got to be a complete team over a couple-year stretch to make the final. We just missed out on that first year (2019-2021), but I think we are a better side now than we were back then. 'I think two (WTC titles) would be incredible. One, I think, is still a pretty good demonstration of how good we've been over the past few years," he elaborated. But Cummins isn't one to reminisce on the past, for he knows very well that South Africa, captained by Temba Bavuma, has enough match-winners themselves who can pose a serious challenge to them in the WTC final. 'They always seem to compete in every tournament. They've got a lot of experience, especially the white-ball teams – they play across different franchise leagues." 'There's always a little bit of mystique around South Africa, because we don't play them as often as, say, India."
Int'l Cricket Council
6 days ago
- General
- Int'l Cricket Council
Cummins locks in Smith's batting slot for WTC Final
With the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 fast approaching, Australia have zeroed in on an important batting decision. With multiple alternatives in contention to take the centre-stage, skipper Pat Cummins has named batting icon Steve Smith to occupy a crucial spot in the middle order. In a recent conversation with The Grade Cricketer on Prime Video Australia , Cummins stated, 'I can confirm that Smudge will be batting at four. Everyone else, I'm not willing to, but I can confirm Steve Smith will be number four.' Smith, who has batted most of his Test career at number four, boasts 6531 runs from 120 Test innings at the slot, averaging 61.61. This includes 23 centuries and 26 fifties. The veteran batter had also starred in Australia's triumph in the previous WTC Final in 2023, scoring a first-innings century that helped set the tone for a big win. Highlights – Smith piles on the runs with trademark century | WTC23 Final Highlights – Steve Smith scored his 31st Test century to pile on India's troubles in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023. As they prepare to defend the WTC mace, Cummins opened up on the prospect of becoming the first team to do so since the inception of the tournament in 2019. 'After winning (in) 2023, there's a lot of talk of trying to retain it. Go and defend it. It's not tangible until you actually make the final. 'Now that we've made it, it'll be pretty cool to win another ICC trophy. Playing at Lord's, it's a tournament that every other Test playing nation is vying for so, it just signifies a pretty good couple of years.' The Australian captain also highlighted the significance of the tournament and the challenges it presented. 'I think it shows performance over two years. But there are varying conditions. Even in ICC World Cups, it's normally very similar conditions. 'A Test tournament, you've got to go and win basically everything at home, but for us, we had to go to Sri Lanka and win in really tough spinning conditions. 'Go over to New Zealand, and beat a really strong side at home. So, I think it shows that you've really got to be a complete team over a couple year stretch to make the final. 'We just missed out that first year (2019-2021), but I think we are a better side now than we were back then. We lost a couple of games at home. But, yeah, I think two (WTC titles) would be incredible. One, I think, is still a pretty good demonstration of how good we've been over the past few years.' Ricky Ponting picks his Australia XI for the World Test Championship Final The former Australia captain names the squad he believes should take on South Africa in the WTC Final. While Australia will be featuring in their second successive WTC final, South Africa made it to their first by topping the World Test Championship standings. Cummins showered praise on the Proteas, and believes the Temba Bavuma-led side have multiple match-winners in their midst to pose a challenge. 'They always seem to compete in every tournament. They've got a lot of experience, especially the white-ball teams - they play across different franchise leagues. Rabada, Maharaj, Bavuma, they've played a lot of cricket over the years. 'They have really good fast bowlers, they always seem to have not just one or two main guys but they have got four-six guys they can call. 'And yeah, some batters, you haven't seen much (of them) but they've scored plenty of domestic runs. (We have) played most of the guys in the squad, certainly not everyone. There's always a little bit of mystique around South Africa, because we don't play them as often as say India.' The World Test Championship Final between Australia and South Africa will kickstart on 11 June at the Lord's Cricket Ground.
