Follow UsAustralia’s skipper Pat Cummins has confirmed that Marnus Labuschagne will open in the much-awaited World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa, on June 11 (Wednesday). Amidst all the combinations, Cummins revealed that Labuschagne’s ability in England has made him triumph over aggressive Sam Konstas for that opener’s spot.
"With Marnus moving, we thought it’s one spot up really. It’s not too different to batting three," Cummins said, ahead of the WTC final, on the ICC website.
"Marnus has experience, he has done well here at Lord's and in England in general. Opening the batting can be tough, but it can also be sometimes the best time to bat, before the Dukes ball actually starts swinging,” he added.
"There's an opportunity to score there, so just keeping that ball in tow I think is going to mean something."
Cummins and co also welcome back Josh Hazlewood, who hasn’t played any red-ball cricket for the country since the start of 2025, having recovered from an injury. However, Hazlewood’s inclusion will be at the expense of an in-form Scott Boland.
"There are some guys where you generally say you've done nothing wrong, don't change a thing, and that's Scott and he's just really unfortunate to miss out," the skipper said.
"The message to Scott is there's a lot of Test matches coming up in the next couple of years, and just because you're in your mid-30s doesn't mean you're missing this Test and that's the last Test of your career.
"I think by having a squad of fast bowlers, hopefully we can extend a lot of careers for an extra couple of years."
On expected lines, all-rounder Beau Webster retains his place in the starting XI, as Cameron Green is expected to slot in at No.3, shielding Steve Smith.
Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.