Pat Cummins Confirms Steve Smith's Batting Position for WTC Final Against South Africa

Steve Smith to Bat at Number Four

Australian captain Pat Cummins has announced that star batsman Steve Smith will take the number four position in the batting order for the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord's.

As the WTC Final 2025 approaches, scheduled for June 11, Australia has made a significant decision regarding their batting lineup.

With several options available, Cummins has chosen the experienced Smith to play a vital role in the middle order.

Cummins Discusses Smith's Role

In a recent interview with The Grade Cricketer on Prime Video Australia, Cummins confirmed, "I can confirm that Smudge will be batting at four. Everyone else, I am not willing to, but I can confirm Steve Smith will be number four."

Smith, who has predominantly batted at number four throughout his Test career, has accumulated 6,531 runs from 120 innings at this position, boasting an impressive average of 61.61, which includes 23 centuries and 26 half-centuries.

He played a crucial role in Australia's victory during the previous WTC Final in 2023, scoring a century in the first innings that set the stage for a significant win.

Defending the WTC Title

As Australia prepares to defend their WTC title, Cummins expressed his thoughts on the challenge of becoming the first team to retain the trophy since the tournament's inception in 2019.

"After winning in 2023, there is a lot of talk of trying to retain it. Go and defend it. It is not tangible until you actually make the final," he stated.

"Now that we have made it, it will be pretty cool to win another ICC trophy. Playing at Lord's, it is a tournament that every other Test-playing nation is vying for, so it just signifies a pretty good couple of years," Cummins added.

Importance of the WTC

Cummins also emphasized the significance of the WTC and the challenges it entails.

"I think it shows performance over two years. But there are varying conditions. Even in ICC World Cups, it is normally very similar conditions," he remarked.

"A Test tournament requires you to win almost everything at home, but for us, we had to go to Sri Lanka and win in tough spinning conditions," he explained.

"We also had to travel to New Zealand and defeat a strong team at home. Thus, it demonstrates that you need to be a complete team over a couple of years to reach the final," he noted.

"We just missed out that first year (2019-2021), but I believe we are a better side now than we were back then. We lost a couple of games at home. However, I think two WTC titles would be incredible. One title is still a strong indication of how good we've been over the past few years," Cummins concluded.

Praise for South Africa

While Australia is making its second consecutive appearance in the WTC final, South Africa is competing in their first after topping the World Test Championship standings.

Cummins praised the Proteas, led by Temba Bavuma, highlighting their numerous match-winners who could pose a significant challenge.

"They always seem to compete in every tournament. They have a wealth of experience, especially in white-ball formats, as they participate in various franchise leagues. Players like Rabada, Maharaj, and Bavuma have played a lot of cricket over the years," he said.

"They possess excellent fast bowlers, not just one or two key players, but four to six who can step up," he added.

"Some of their batters may not be well-known, but they have scored plenty of runs domestically. We have faced most of the players in their squad, but not everyone. There is always a bit of mystique surrounding South Africa, as we do not play them as frequently as teams like India," he concluded.