WTC final: Steve Smith to bat at 4, confirms Cummins
What's the story
Ahead of the 2025 ICC World Test Championship final, Australia have locked in an important batting slot.
Captain Pat Cummins has announced that batting legend Steve Smith will bat in the middle order.
In a recent interview with The Grade Cricketer on Prime Video Australia, Cummins said, "I can confirm that Smudge will be batting at four."
The 2025 WTC final between Australia and South Africa will begin on June 11 at Lord's.
Batting prowess
Smith's stellar Test record at Number 4
Prior to the big final, Cummins has pinned his hopes on Australia's batting great.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Smith racked up a whopping 6,531 runs from 120 Test innings at an average of 61.61 at Number 4.
His stellar performance includes 23 centuries and 26 fifties.
The veteran batter also batted at this position in the 2023 WTC final against India. His first-innings ton laid the foundation for a huge win.
Information
Smith among veteran batters
As per ESPNcricinfo, Smith has the fourth-highest batting average among players at Number 4 (with 2,000-plus runs). Among the Australian players, Greg Chappell follows Smith with an average of 59.12 in this regard.
Title defense
'Lots of talk of trying to defend it'
As Australia gear up to defend the WTC mace, Cummins spoke about the possibility of becoming the first team to do so since the tournament's inception in 2019.
He said, "After winning (in) 2023, there's a lot of talk of trying to retain it. Go and defend it."
The Australian captain also emphasized on how important this tournament is and its challenges.
Tournament challenges
Cummins on challenges of WTC
Cummins said, "A Test tournament, you've got to go and win basically everything at home, but for us, we had to go to Sri Lanka and win in really tough spinning conditions."
He added that they had to beat a strong side in New Zealand.
The Australian captain also noted that this shows how complete a team has to be over a couple of years to make it to the final.
Opponent analysis
Australian captain praises South Africa
Cummins praised South Africa for their consistent performance in every tournament.
He said, "They've got a lot of experience, especially the white-ball teams - they play across different franchise leagues."
The Australian captain also acknowledged the Proteas's strong bowling attack and run-scoring batters who could pose a challenge to his team in the final.