Australia are back at Lord’s for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final, but captain Pat Cummins knows it is not exactly going to be a warm welcome.
Speaking ahead of the summit clash against South Africa, the Aussie skipper subtly referenced the crowd hostility they faced the last time they played at the venue during the explosive second Ashes Test in 2023.
That match, of course, had the infamous Jonny Bairstow stumping done by Alex Carey that caused a huge uproar and was a topic of debate throughout the series.
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Also read: Who Will Win WTC 2025? Aakash Chopra Makes His Bold Predictions!
Pat Cummins Ready for Cold Shoulder from English Fans at Lord’s
When asked if he expected the neutral English fans to support the Proteas in the WTC final, Pat Cummins did not hold back. His answer was:
"Probably, yeah, hard to know [if neutrals will support South Africa]. There’s a lot of Aussies here in London, so I’m sure there’ll be lots of Aussies out there, lots of South African fans as well. And yeah, wouldn’t be surprised if the English have a few supporting South Africa as well. But yeah, we’ll wait and see."
It is hard to ignore the context. The last time Cummins led Australia out at Lord’s, it was bedlam. That Ashes Test is still remembered for the heated aftermath of Bairstow’s controversial stumping by Carey.
What followed was a wave of outrage from English fans. Boos rang across the ground and even the MCC members in the Long Room turned hostile, confronting Aussie players that led to an argument.
While the crowd may not be in their corner, the Australians still feel at home on the field at Lord’s. They’ve had success here in the past, winning three out of four Tests they have played at this venue since 2010.
Steve Smith has scored heavily at this ground with 525 runs, including two centuries, in his tally. Cummins sounded relaxed talking about the venue. He could not resist a sly dig at the absence of crowd noise in the lead-up.
"Yeah, great few days. Maybe there’s no crowds – that helps – but it’s always good to be back here."
"It’s such an iconic ground and we do enjoy playing over here. Someone like Smithy has scored a lot of runs here – over the past three or four Ashes series and Test matches. I think we’ve either won or come close to winning every Test. So yeah, it’s a place we like playing at. Even in white-ball cricket, we’ve had some success here as well," Cummins stated.
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Marnus Labuschagne to Open, Cameron Green to Don No. 3 Role
Australia announced their playing XI for the WTC final on Tuesday. They have taken a massive punt on Marnus Labuschagne, who will now be opening along with Usman Khawaja. Cameron Green is making his comeback from a back injury and will be pushed to No. 3, a new role for him as well.
Australia Playing XI: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
