WTC Final 2023: Australia Cricket Team will reach London three days after the first batch of the India Cricket Team. Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, and Mitchell Starc besides Usman Khawaja will leave for London on May 27. With some of the Australian stars like Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne already in the UK playing County Cricket, Cangaroos have opted out of the warm-up match. Rahul Dravid and some of the ousted IPL stars will leave for London on May 23. India are likely to play an Intra-Squad match while talks are on for a warm-up game against County XI. India vs Australia WTC Final will begin on June 7 at Kennington Oval. Follow IND vs AUS World Test Championship Final LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
- Steve Smith (Sussex)
- Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan)
- Marcus Harris (Gloucestershire)
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With the County Championships going into a break after May 21, the Australian players will have a short break before assembling in London. They will be joined by the likes of Pat Cummins and others. David Warner will also head home after completing the last IPL 2023 match for Delhi Capitals on May 20. He will join the Australian squad in London after a trip back home.
Cummins has begun training last week for the first time since his mother’s death. After missing two months of cricket, Cummins will look to adapt to English conditions early for the Final. While Aussies have an eye on the WTC Final, their focus remains on the Ashes 2023.
Usman Khawaja who has a poor record in England is also looking to up his game this time. Khawaja averages 19.66 in six games.
“England is, in my opinion, the toughest place in the world to bat for a top three batsman, plain and simple. New ball is tough work, but then you get some (weather) conditions, and it’s a bit of luck involved in it, too. Sometimes you get the other team out, then suddenly the clouds roll over … other times you’re out there and it’s nice and sunny,” Khawaja told Cricket.com.au on Monday.
WTC Final 2023: Team India to leave on May 23
Meanwhile, Team India will leave in three batches. The first batch will head to London on May 23. The entourage will include head coach Rahul Dravid along with the entire coaching staff and a few players who will not be in IPL 2023 Playoffs. The rest of the players will reach as and when their IPL assignments get over. The final batch will leave on May 29 a day after the IPL Final.
While BCCI is still in talks with the England & Wales Cricket Board for a warm-up game against Select County XI, it looks difficult. Instead, Team India will play an intra-squad match leading up to the Oval Final. By next week, India will also have clarity on the injuries of Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat. The latter is still doubtful while Umesh has returned to high-intensity rehab.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Mohd. Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Ishan Kishan (wk)
Standby players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav
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