The defending champions of WTC were handed a counter-attack punch by South Africa. The Proteas got crowned ICC WTC 2023-25 champions after quite easily chasing down the target of 282 runs. Pat Cummins, not very often have we seen being clueless as the bowling attack managed to take only 5 wickets in a grueling 83.4 overs of the game. Let’s look at the reasons for Pat Cummins‘ side’s defeat in the WTC final.
Mysterious selection of Cameron Green
Chief selector George Bailey, along with the coaching staff, showed faith in Cameron Green. The flamboyant all-rounder was playing as a pure batter, and that too at the No.3 position. Cameron Green managed only 4 runs in 2 innings and sustained only 5 deliveries, and on both occasions, Kagiso Rabada got the better of him.
Cameron Green, throughout his career, has batted at the No.5 or No.6 position. Green’s promotion unnecessarily disturbed the combination with Marnus Labuschagne opening the batting, who didn’t have ample experience at the top of the order. Cameron Green undoubtedly has been asset for Australian cricket but he was making a comeback after the 2024 England ODI Series in September, he had back injury which ruled him out of the entire summer.
Cricke Australia’s (CA) initiative,e though, could have paid the dividends as Green was playing county cricket for Gloustershire before the start of the WTC final. Cameron Green becomes an ‘X’ factor; the all-rounder duo of Cameron Green & Beau Webster could have given extra bowling options and most importantly variety for Pat Cummins in the match, which didn’t happen as Beau Webster’s inexperience was blatantly seen.
Lacklustre captaincy by Pat Cummins
Australia had set a daunting target of 282 runs to win for South Africa. The Proteas had ample time left to chase down with 2 and half days left. The mighty Aussies reduced South Africa to 70-2. The sun was out on Day 3 due to which the bowling unit had to toil a lot.
Temba Bavuma, who was battling a hamstring injury played out of his skin by occupying the crease with sheer defense. Pat Cummins wasn’t able to get rid of Bavuma & Aiden Markram. Aiden Markram was quite glad to play the role of aggressor with Bavuma struggling to rotate the strike regularly.
It seemed somewhat that Pat Cummins was waiting for a false shot by Bavuma & Markram. It was quite unrealistic to see that Aussies were waiting for a mistake to happen rather than force and intimidate the opposition with their bowling approach. Mitchell Starc & Josh Hazlewood though bowled their heart out but had no answers against immaculate defense and proper Test match batting.
Aiden Markram & Temba Bavuma stitched 147 runs partnership in 250 balls which is more than 40 overs and precisely 41.4 overs. Aussies allowed Markram & Bavuma to not only get their eye in but make sure that Aussies run out of ideas to break the partnership which they did successfully.
Day 4 was a last chance for Australia to give their best shot of winning Test match. Proteas had only 69 runs left to win the match. Astonishingly and somewhat expectedly, we saw a never-say-die attitude kind of Australia on the field. Pat Cummins was marshalling his troops smartly, and field placements were remarkable, but it was a little too late.
Markram stood tall like & played like a warrior as his knock of 136 runs in 207 balls almost crossed the finishing line. David Bedingham & Kyle Verreyne wrapped up the game by chasing 6 runs remaining. Australia’s fightback was a tad too late, and it also looked like there was a lack of communication between Pat Cummins & bowlers, as field placements on Day 3 and bowling were quite a bit odd.
Travis Head’s rare failures
Travis Head, who has made a name for himself as a man for big occasions, was in complete disarray. In the 1st innings, he got out on 11 runs in 13 balls, and in 2nd innings, 9 runs in 18 balls. It was quite a bit evident that there was a lack of hand-eye coordination by Travis, whose string of low scores exposed Australia’s middle order.
Travis Head’s bat lift also wasn’t that encouraging and threatening for opposition. The credit, though, must be given to South Africa, who bowled wicket to wicket to him. Steven Smith’s failure in the 2nd innings with 13 runs in 25 balls had a drastic effect on the match; Australia’s score at Smith’s dismissal was 48-4, and from that, the score dipped to 73-7. Aussies needed Head to play a fierce knock but his stumps were casetled by Muler by around the wicket.
What lies ahead for Australia
Australia were assumed quite red hot favorite to win ICC WTC 2023-25 mace. It’s quite a shocker that Australia’s defeat is more on the basis of ifs & butts rather than on merit. The batting unit didn’t click nor did the bowling in the later stage of the innings. Is it now time that the selectors part ways with Usman Khawaja, who scored 6 runs in 2 innings and also he is 38 years of age, and playing the entire next WTC cycle would be a stern test for him.
Australia have got to go back to the drawing board. The next assignment of Australia is immediately in the form of the West Indies, 3 Test match series commencing from 25th June in the Caribbean. We all are very much aware of the fact that how much CA prioritizes Test cricket but this WTC final defeat will hurt a lot and undoubtedly would have made wounds.
Australian cricket is known for bouncing back strongly. Many experts and analysts are even stating that 2018 Sand-Paper gate phase will begin for Australian cricket; if that happens, then it will be a transitional and also revolutionary & glorious. Aussies past 2018 South Africa Test series had won T20 WC 2021, ICC WTC 2021-23 mace, ODI WC 2023 and many more marquee series.
This WTC defeat also raises questions on how long the chief selector George Bailey will persist with veteran players. Nathan Lyon (*37 years), Steven Smith (*36 years), Mitchell Starc (*35 years), Josh Hazlewood (*34 years); it would be a bit harsh but Aussies team looks a Dad’s army where youngsters aren’t playing at crucial positions and doing the hard yards.
Pat Cummins would be well aware of the fact that Ashes 2025-26 is around the corner as that series is no less than a WC especially for England who haven’t won Ashes in Australia since 2010. It’s quite a complicated situation for Pat Cummins to play all 3 formats and be victorious as West Indies Tests are also crucial & now it’s high time that CA develop their bench strength more rapidly and efficiently if they want to dominate World cricket.
In an interview in the start of the year, Nathan Lyon made it very clear that the current Australian team wants to win Test series in India which is in 2026-27. If we go by that, then it will be quite risky for CA as managing the workload of players can prove to be a herculean challenge. Irrespective of what lies ahead, Aussies now most likely would be a deadly force to reckon with against West Indies as Pat Cummins would be roaring to make a sturdy comeback in ICC WTC 2025-27 cycle.
Also Read: ICC WTC 2023-25: Aiden Markram’s 136 Runs Power South Africa To WTC Triumph