After defeating India in the 2021–2023 cycle summit battle after failing to qualify in the first cycle, Mitchell Starc believed that the WTC final was the ideal chance for his side to win back-to-back titles.
The squad’s journey and what it means for him and the team to have another chance at the Test Mace at Lord’s, where they will play Temba Bavuma-led South Africa in the last match, have been discussed by Australian pacer Mitchell Starc.
“This is an opportunity to go back-to-back. Even though the World Test Championship is still a relatively new format, it has been a big journey for us.
We were lucky to win it the second time around after missing out on the final in the first cycle,” Mitchell Starc told Star Sports.
The bowler went on to emphasise the team’s depth by saying that the nucleus of the team has remained the same since the team’s historic victory over India at the Oval.
Now that a core group of players from the 2023 final are still intact, it’s truly unique to have this chance once more, at Lord’s. It would be a tremendous reward for all of this group’s efforts over the years to win the Mace a second time,” he continued.
With a particular emphasis on their own strategy, Mitchell Starc also dissected Australia’s preparedness for South Africa’s combination of seasoned and unknown hitters:
Both Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram have experience playing Test cricket. We talked a little bit about Aiden because we didn’t see him during the most recent series in Australia. He has undoubtedly been a key member of South Africa’s batting lineup.
“We haven’t yet met some of the less experienced players in this format, but they have still seen some Test action. We’ll talk about them throughout the course of the next three days, including what we can learn, what we see, and how they play the game. But for now, we’re concentrating on our goals while we prepare,” he continued.
Steve Smith, an Australian cricketer, talked about his feelings of playing in another ICC WTC Final.
“Being in another WTC final is fantastic. Making it to the World Test Championship Final and defending our title is the group’s objective at the beginning of each cycle. This week, we’re excited to play here at Lord’s. This one is going to be good. South Africa is an excellent side, and we truly like playing here. “I believe this match will be fantastic,” Smith remarked.
“We’ll have some preparations in place and the discussions will grow a little more in-depth as the game approaches. Nevertheless, for us, it’s usually about concentrating on our strengths. “Hopefully, we can have another successful outing if we do that this week,” he continued.
India
