While the WTC final commences on June 11, India's opening Test against England is scheduled for June 20, with their Lord’s fixture, the third Test of the series, not set to begin until July 10
Australia's Pat Cummins celebrates the fall of a wicket with his teammates (Pic: AFP)
In a major blow to their pre-final preparations, the Australian cricket team was reportedly denied access to train at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground ahead of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final. The Lord’s will host the WTC final between South Africa and Australia starting June 11.
Although the reason for this decision is still unknown, a report by Code Sports suggested that members of the Indian team, currently in England for a five-match Test series, were already utilising the venue for their training sessions.
The Fox Cricket report alleged that the Indian team was granted training privileges at Lord’s ‘at the expense of the Australian team’, claiming that Pat Cummins and his men were effectively ‘booted out’.
Notably, while the WTC final commences on June 11, India's opening Test against England is scheduled for June 20, with their Lord’s fixture, the third Test of the series, not set to begin until July 10.
However, the Australian team eventually gained access to Lord’s and held a training session at the venue on Sunday.
Speaking about the situation and his team’s readiness, Australia captain Cummins shared his thoughts on the relatively calm atmosphere at Lord’s during their practice.
"I think this is the best version of the stadium this morning," Cummins remarked. "There's no one around, which is great. I'm sure it will be much more civil this time around.
"Things got pretty heated in the middle of that Ashes series, but I think a lot of them will have learned their lesson and I'm sure they'll be very polite."
Cummins is set to spearhead a formidable Australian pace attack in the WTC final against South Africa. The seasoned trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon will bolster the bowling unit, while all-rounder Cameron Green is expected to serve as the fourth seam option for the Australians.
WTC final: Australia squad at a glance
Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann
Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett
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