Australia begin preparations for WTC final in Kent

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London. Members of Australia’s men’s cricket team have started their preparations for the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) final and the Ashes series against England at their United Kingdom training center in South London.

The Australian team has stepped up their preparations for their first challenge to face India in the WTC final at The Oval from June 7. Pat Cummins’ side will be all set to chase their maiden World Test Championship title.

However, the team management is also keeping a close eye on The Oval ground, where they have a poor record, where they will start their summer campaign. He would have preferred to start his campaign at Lord’s rather than The Oval.

“But given the evidence provided by more than 140 years of Test cricket in the United Kingdom, they may be boosting their chances of winning the title even further,” cricket.com.au reported on Thursday. Yes, if the final was staged at Lord’s.”

In 39 matches played at Lord’s since 1884, Australia have registered 17 wins with a success rate of 43.59 per cent. In contrast, Australia’s record at The Oval is markedly worse, with only seven wins from 38 (18.42 per cent).

When the World Test Championship was first planned in 2010, the final of the quadrennial competition was planned to be held at Lord’s. As the competition finally resumed only after a decade’s hiatus, but due to commercial realities Lord’s has not hosted the WTC final.

“But the global COVID-19 pandemic scuppered that plan, with the final being held at the Rose Bowl in Southampton instead, where on-site accommodation was ensured so that the competing teams New Zealand and India were in bio-security isolation,” the report said. maintain the level of

The report said that when venues for the 2023 final were discussed last year, it emerged that financial considerations – in particular, the ICC’s condition for a ‘clean’ stadium free from existing membership requirements and its own Dressed in sponsors’ livery – means Lord’s faces potential commercial conflicts. And so the final was moved to The Oval.

So, while hosts England take on Ireland in the one-off Test starting at Lord’s on Thursday, their Ashes rivals will face the challenge posed by India at The Oval and for 20 days from central London ahead of the county’s UK stay. Preparations will follow with full training sessions at the club’s quaint bucolic out-ground in Beckenham, km away.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Indian team involved in the IPL playoffs have reached London and will also start preparing for the WTC final.(IANS)

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