Decoding Australia's probable XI for WTC Final
Australia will take on India in the high-voltage ICC World Test Championship final. The Kennington Oval in London will host this affair, starting on June 7. The Aussies, under Pat Cummins's leadership, dominated the 2021-23 cycle and finished atop the table with a PCT of 66.67 %. Here we decode Australia's probable XI for the all-important duel versus India.
Warner, Khawaja to open
Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald confirmed that David Warner has the backing of the team management despite the latter's poor returns in recent Tests. He would open alongside Usman Khawaja, who has been enjoying a purple patch since his return to the Test team last year. As India have a quality pace attack, the Aussie openers must tackle the new ball with precision.
Here is the middle-order
Australia's middle-order is pretty sorted as Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Travis Head are the next set of batters in the line-up. The trio occupies three of the top-six spots in the ICC Test batting rankings. The same speaks volumes of their recent form. While Smith and Labuschagne are known to play marathon knocks, Head's attacking approach has hurt many teams in recent times.
Green's all-round skill to add balance
Cameron Green's stocks have sky-rocketed in recent times and he will have a major role to play in the WTC final. The batter has been consistently among runs in recent times. His right-arm pace bowling makes him an even greater asset. Green would enjoy bowling in the Oval conditions and the pacer can constantly touch the 140-KPH mark.
Alex Carey to keep the wickets
Alex Carey has been Australia's first-choice keeper in Tests since the 2021-22 Ashes. Josh Inglis, who is uncapped in Tests, is the other keeper in the spot. However, only an injury to Carey can earn him a maiden Test cap. Meanwhile, Carey is yet to play a Test on England soil. His keeping skills would be tested in swinging conditions.
The potent bowling attack
While Nathan Lyon will be the solitary spinner in the line-up, pacers Mitchell Starc, Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood would occupy the remaining spots. Notably, all four bowlers boast 200-plus wickets in the longest format. In case, Hazlewood misses out due to fitness concerns, Scott Boland will get a nod. It must be noted that Cummins, Starc, and Lyon can also make handy batting contributions.
The Predicted Australia XI
Australia (Probable XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (captain), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
