Australia skipper Pat Cummins has supported Marnus Labuschagne to be the opener in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s, a move that represents a decisive change in the team’s top-order approach. Cummins has chosen Labuschagne to partner Usman Khawaja in opening the innings with the hope that the 30-year-old can be a long-term answer to the position that has witnessed quite a number of batters trying to fill David Warner’s role. Labuschagne, who has never played as an opener in Test cricket, possesses just one century in a Test match since 2022 and didn’t impress much with two games for the County team Glamorgan this month.
“One Spot Up”: Pat Cummins Justifies Labuschagne’s Promotion
“I think Cam Green, the last few weeks he’s had, is coming back in great form, we thought he deserves a spot somewhere in the batting line-up. We thought three probably suited him best. And then, you know, with Marnus moving, we thought it’s, you know, one spot up really. It’s not too different from batting at three. He’s done well here in England in the past. You know, all the boys have trained well. He, Sam ( Konstas), and Josh Inglis have all trained really well. But I thought the selectors went with Marnus’s experience, (not only) here at Lord’s, but in England in general,” Cummins told reporters in London on Tuesday.
High-Risk Call in English Conditions Taken by Pat Cummins
The captain elucidated further that opening in English conditions is always challenging but can provide early scoring possibilities, particularly before the Dukes ball begins to swing a lot.“Opening the batting can be tough, but it can also be the best time to bat. There’s an opportunity to score there,” he said.
Labuschagne, the ex-World No.1 Test batsman, will walk in with Usman Khawaja at the top of the order, and Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Beau Webster will make up a strong middle order.
Green Returns, Hazlewood Preferred Over Boland
Green comes back into the Test team after making a comeback from back surgery, while Webster holds on to his position to provide useful all-round contributions, comprising part-time medium pace and spin.
At bowling, Josh Hazlewood has been chosen over Scott Boland, a move which Cummins revealed was among the hardest to make. “There are some guys where you generally say you’ve done nothing wrong, don’t change a thing, and that’s Scott. He’s just really unfortunate to miss out,” Cummins said, assuring that Boland remains an integral part of the setup going forward.
Teenager Sam Konstas, who was in the mix for a batting position, has been omitted as well. But Cummins stressed the 19-year-old is very much in Australia’s future plans. “Realistically, he’s really young, he’s got a long career ahead of him. Even by not playing, we hope to show him there are learning opportunities.”
