Their key pacers returned for the summit clash against South Africa
Marnus Labuschagne has been preferred over youngster Sam Konstas to open the batting with Usman Khawaja as Australia captain Pat Cummins announced their playing XI for the World Test Championship Final against South Africa beginning on Wednesday.
Konstas, who was sent back from the WTC holders’ previous Test outing in Sri Lanka, couldn’t find a place yet again.
Meanwhile, senior pacer Josh Hazlewood has been picked over in-form Scott Boland for the summit clash to be played at Lord’s. Cummins was also absent from the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy earlier this year due to the birth of his second child. Hazlewood was sidelined for Austalia’s fourth and fifth Test at home against India in late December as a precaution against an ankle injury.
The 34-year-old was nursing a shoulder injury before the big final but recovered from it played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final and won the trophy with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Hazlewood had missed Australia’s 2023 final against India due to an injury.
Young all-rounder Cameron Green has also made the cut for the playing XI after recovering from a back surgery in October last year. The 26-year-old is unlikely to bowl and will play as a pure batter. Beau Webster is the other fast-bowling all-rounder in Australia’s XI.
Boland was in stunning form since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, claiming 21 wickets from just six innings at an excellent average of 13.19. He continued his sublime run in the Sheffield Sheild with Victoria claiming 17 wickets from just two matches.
Labuschagne has been going through a lean phase off late having gone without a Test hundred in 28 innings. Its been close to two years since he scored 111 in the second innings of the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester. However, the right-hander has scored seven fifties in this period.
His recent county stint with Glamorgan also resulted in just 111 runs from five innings which included two dismissals for nought.
Vice-captain Steve Smith, however, is in stunning form having crossed the 10,000-run mark recently and having scored four hundreds in his last eight innings.
Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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