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Key Points

Pat Cummins expressed sympathy for Scott Boland after leaving him out of Australia's WTC final XI, calling the decision unfortunate but necessary. The skipper backed Marnus Labuschagne's promotion to opener, citing his experience in English conditions. Australia's pace attack will feature Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood against South Africa at Lord's. The defending champions aim to retain their WTC title with a balanced squad featuring all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster.

Key Points: Pat Cummins Calls Scott Boland Unlucky as Hazlewood Gets WTC Nod

  • Cummins defends Boland omission as tough selection call
  • Labuschagne promoted to open with Khawaja
  • Hazlewood preferred over Boland in pace trio
  • Australia aims to retain WTC mace vs South Africa
3 min read

He's just really unfortunate...: Pat Cummins as Scott Boland misses out in Australia's playing 11 for WTC final

Australia captain Pat Cummins explains Scott Boland's WTC final omission, backs Marnus Labuschagne as opener, and discusses squad rotation strategy.

"He's just really unfortunate to miss out... don't change a thing, and that's Scott - Pat Cummins"

London June 10

Ahead of their clash against South Africa (SA) in the World Test Championship Final 2025, on June 11 at the Home of Cricket Lord's Australia captain Pat Cummins spoke in depth of bowling surrounding the decision to leave Scott Boland out of the XI and opt for Josh Hazlewood, according to ICC website.

"There are some guys where you generally say you've done nothing wrong, don't change a thing, and that's Scott, and he's just really unfortunate to miss out," Pat Cummins said as quoted from the ICC.

"The message to Scott is there's a lot of Test matches coming up in the next couple of years, and just because you're in your mid-30s doesn't mean you're missing this Test and that's the last Test of your career."

"I think by having a squad of fast bowlers, hopefully we can extend a lot of careers for an extra couple of years," he added.

Cummins explained the reasons why selectors opted for Labuschagne at the top of the order and decided to leave teenager Sam Konstas out of the XI.

"With Marnus moving, we thought it's one spot up really. It's not too different to batting three," Cummins said.

"Marnus has experience; he has done well here at Lord's and in England in general."

The Aussie skipper also believed that even without playing, Sam Konstas can still learn and develop, as he has a long career ahead of him.

"Realistically, he's [Sam Konstas ] really young; he's got a long career ahead of him. So hopefully, even by not playing, we can show him their learning opportunities."

Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne will be pushed up in the order to open alongside Usman Khawaja. At the same time, Josh Hazlewood won the race against Scott Boland to partner left-armer Mitchell Starc and Cummins in the pace attack.

All-rounder Cameron Green will play his first Test since back surgery, while Beau Webster retains his spot in the XI and will provide the bowlers some support with his medium pace and spin options.

Pat Cummins-led Australia will be looking to retain the mace that they claimed after defeating India in the previous edition of the World Test Championship Final at the Oval in June 2023.

Australia WTC Final playing 11: 1. Usman Khawaja, 2. Marnus Labuschagne, 3. Cameron Green, 4. Steve Smith, 5. Travis Head, 6. Beau Webster, 7. Alex Carey (wk), 8. Pat Cummins (c), 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Nathan Lyon, 11. Josh Hazlewood.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

Here are 6 authentic Indian perspective comments for the article:
R
Rahul K.
Tough call but Hazlewood over Boland makes sense. Experience matters in big finals. Though I feel for Boland - he's been brilliant whenever given chances. Hope he gets more opportunities soon 🤞
P
Priya M.
As an Indian cricket fan, I'm just happy we're not facing Australia this time! Their pace attack looks deadly even without Boland. Our boys better prepare well for next WTC cycle 💪
A
Arjun S.
Cummins' handling of senior players is commendable. Unlike some teams (cough BCCI cough), they manage workload properly. Boland at 35 still has years left if managed well. We should learn from this.
S
Sunita R.
Labuschagne opening is an interesting move! Remember how Pujara opened for us in England? Sometimes these experiments work wonders. Hope SA gives them a tough fight though 🇿🇦
V
Vikram J.
Australia's bench strength is scary good. Meanwhile we're still searching for reliable pacers beyond Bumrah-Shami. When will our domestic system produce such quality depth? 😔
N
Neha P.
While team selection looks solid, I feel Australia might miss a proper spinner if Lyon has an off day. Our Ashwin-Jadeja combo would've been perfect for Lord's. Anyway, may the best team win! 🏏

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