Aaron Finch Praises Pat Cummins Ahead of World Test Championship Final
Finch Commends Cummins' Leadership Skills
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 8: As the ICC World Test Championship final approaches, former Australian captain Aaron Finch has expressed admiration for current skipper Pat Cummins, noting his continuous growth in leadership both on and off the field.
Australia is set to defend their ICC World Test Championship title against South Africa, who are making their debut in the finals, at Lord's starting June 11. The South African team is eager to secure their first major ICC title in senior cricket.
In an exclusive interview with a sports channel, Finch highlighted Cummins' impressive captaincy, which has seen Australia achieve 13 victories out of 19 Tests, with only four losses.
“Pat Cummins’ captaincy is remarkable. He is consistently improving. His ability to lead extends beyond the pitch, which is crucial for an international captain. Coordinating everything effectively at the right moments is vital. His collaboration with coach Andrew McDonald has been exceptional for Australian cricket,” Finch stated.
Under Cummins' leadership, Australia retained the Ashes against England with a 2-2 draw and secured their first Border-Gavaskar Trophy series win against India in a decade, avoiding a third consecutive series defeat at home to the Asian powerhouse. Cummins has excelled as a bowler, leading the team with 73 wickets in 17 Tests at an average exceeding 24. His captaincy also led Australia to their first WTC title in 2023, defeating India in the final at The Oval, completing a collection of major trophies across all formats.
With a record of 20 wins in 33 matches, including only seven losses and six draws, Cummins boasts a win percentage of 60.60, marking him as one of Australia's top Test captains.
Finch also compared the bowling strengths of Australia and South Africa, suggesting that while both teams have formidable pace and spin attacks, Australia holds a slight advantage due to their extensive experience in English conditions.
“Both teams have closely matched bowling line-ups. Australia features Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland as their leading pace bowlers, alongside Nathan Lyon. South Africa counters with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, and spinner Keshav Maharaj. While both teams are evenly matched, I believe Australia has the edge due to their greater experience in Test cricket in England,” he concluded.
On May 13, both South Africa and Australia revealed their squads for the World Test Championship Final.
South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy.
Australia: 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.