Pat Cummins Anticipates Strong Aussie Support at World Test Championship Final

Aussie Captain's Expectations for Crowd Support

As Australia prepares for the World Test Championship Final at Lord's Cricket Ground in England, Captain Pat Cummins is not expecting a neutral crowd. While he acknowledges the presence of Australian supporters, he believes that most of the backing will come from Australians residing in England. In a pre-match press conference, Cummins shared his thoughts on fan support.

"Probably, yeah, hard to know [if neutrals will support South Africa]. There’s a lot of Aussies here in London, so I’m sure there’ll be lots of Aussies out there, lots of South African fans as well. And yeah, wouldn’t be surprised if the English have a few supporting South Africa as well. But yeah, we’ll wait and see."

Australia's previous tour in England for the Ashes in 2023 was not without its challenges. A notable incident occurred at Lord's when Alex Carey executed a controversial dismissal of Jonny Bairstow on Day 5 of the second Test. Bairstow, believing the ball to be dead, left the crease, but Carey's underarm throw dislodged the bails, leading to the umpire's decision of 'out.' This act drew boos for Carey throughout the series, despite his belief that he acted within the rules.

Ultimately, Australia secured a 43-run victory in that Test, marking their third win at Lord's since 2010. Cummins expressed his enjoyment of the tranquil atmosphere in the empty stands. Reflecting on Steve Smith's contributions, he stated,

"Yeah, great few days. Maybe there’s no crowds – that helps – but it’s always good to be back here. It’s such an iconic ground and we do enjoy playing over here. Someone like Smithy has scored a lot of runs here – over the past three or four Ashes series and Test matches. I think we’ve either won or come close to winning every Test. So yeah, it’s a place we like playing at. Even in white-ball cricket, we’ve had some success here as well.

Steve Smith is expected to play a pivotal role in the final, given his impressive history at Lord's. In five matches at this iconic venue, he has accumulated 525 runs, including two centuries and two half-centuries.