In an attempt to be ready for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which begins on Wednesday, June 11, the Australian squad was reportedly refused entrance to the Lord’s training complex.
According to the story, the Australian squad was informed that the Lord’s training ground was unavailable. Although it is unclear why Pat Cummins and company were turned away, it has also been stated that the Indian squad members were training at the Home of Cricket while in England for a five-match Test series.
According to a source on Fox Cricket, Cummins’ team was “booted out” of the legendary Lord’s, allowing the Indian side to train there “at the expense of the Australian team.” The report also pointed out that the Indian team doesn’t play their first Test match against England until June 20, even though the WTC final begins on Wednesday. The third game in the series, India’s Test match versus England at Lord’s, will begin on July 10.
The Australian squad was first turned away, but they were later allowed to enter the training area, where they were able to gather some much-needed experience before this week’s matchup against a strong Proteas team.
Later, Australian captain Cummins discussed the plans, preparations, and taunts the reigning champions receive whenever they play at Lord’s.
“I believe that this morning’s stadium is at its best. It’s fantastic that no one is around. NDTV cited Cummins as stating, “I’m sure it will be much more civil this time around.”
“Things got pretty heated in the middle of that Ashes series, but I think a lot of them will have learnt their lesson and I’m sure they’ll be very polite,” he said.
South Africa advanced to the WTC final by winning their last seven Test matches. In the meantime, Australia has reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after defeating India 3-1 at home. With Australia and New Zealand winning the first two WTC finals, respectively, fans are eagerly awaiting the commencement of the third one.