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Int'l Cricket Council
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Konstas hopes early lessons will guide him in West Indies
Young Australian opener Sam Konstas believes he has come a long way after his Boxing Day Test debut, where he scored a blazing half-century. The batter who did not feature for Australia in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final, is expected to open the innings along with Usman Khawaja in the West Indies. "There were quite a few lessons - one was my mental side," the young opener told as he recollected memories from his first Test match against India. "That was my first time playing in front of a big crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), so I've worked on trying to control my emotions better. "The second thing would be technical. I've been working on a few things with my front foot, opening it up slightly to get better access. It just helps work on my defence, as I felt there may be a slight weakness in that. "Those are the two things I'm working on and hopefully holds me in a good stead for the next few games." Konstas had everyone talking after he took on India seamer Jasprit Bumrah in his very first game and made an impact with his debut knock. "It was good reflecting and having a bit of time off to try to strengthen my game up," he added. The right-hander feels he is not trying to prove how he approaches his game to others while also speaking with his seniors, seeking guidance on how to navigate the game-changing phases in the match, especially the heated moments. "I chat to Usman Khawaja all the time on and off the field, whenever we train, I always try to get advice from Uzzie, Marnus [Labuschagne] or [Steve] Smith just seeing how they go about it. "I just want to be myself and understand when to take on the game and when to soak up the pressure to win games to Australia. The young batter, who will be the part of only his third Test, feels he is lucky to be where he is at that age and playing against the best players, getting to experience different cultures. "Obviously it's a tough team to crack into as we've got legends of the game in that team. For me, hopefully I grab my opportunity because it's such a strong side and I'm very grateful for that. "I've been trying to focus on a few key areas with my batting coach, and I feel like I've come a long way, so hopefully I can display that the next few Test matches. "It's been good training with the whole group and getting to know everyone a lot more." Australia, after having come the second best in the World Test Championship Final, will start their next World Test Championship cycle against West Indies with a three-match Test series. NewsICC World Test ChampionshipAustraliaSam Konstas
United News of India
16-06-2025
- Sport
- United News of India
Ponting dissects Markram's match-defining Lord's innings
London, June 16 (UNI) ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting believes Aiden Markram's 136 in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final was comparable to the very best batting performances on the biggest stage. No stranger to delivering in high-pressure situations, Ponting made a habit of scoring match-winning knocks in the games that mattered the most. None more iconic than his 140 against India in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Final in 2003 and 111 not out against England in the ICC Men's Champions Trophy in 2009. Speaking in the aftermath of the epic World Test Championship Final at Lord's, Ponting had high praise for Markram's cracking ton that helped South Africa lift the mace, placing the knock among the best centuries that he could recall on the big stage. 'When you look back through big ICC events, I think the first thing that probably comes to mind is World Cup finals,' Ponting told ICC Digital. 'And then probably Travis Head's innings (137) in the World Cup final, and then the last World Test Championship final (163). And this one's got to be absolutely as good as any of those, considering the stage, considering where South African cricket's been over the last couple of years, particularly their Test side,' he said. South Africa failed to make the WTC Final in the first two editions of the tournament but found a new direction under the pairing of head coach Shukri Conrad and skipper Temba Bavuma in January 2023. The Lord's win was their eighth-successive victory in Tests, one short of their personal best. One of the changes in the South Africa setup under the new leadership was the return of Aiden Markram, who had been dropped from the tour of Australia in the 2022/23 season after an extended poor run with the bat. Markram repaid the faith reposed in him with a spectacular 115 on his return in February 2023, and has looked a more determined batter in the red-ball format since, as exemplified by his fighting ton against India on a tricky surface in Cape Town in January 2024 and his Lord's masterclass. 'To be able to stand up and perform like that when your team needs you the most is what reputations are made of. I think everyone's always known how good a player Aiden Markram was,' Ponting said. 'And I must admit, a couple of years ago when South Africa toured Australia, I couldn't believe that Aiden Markram wasn't in that touring squad at all. He didn't even make the squad," Ponting said. 'And here we are a couple of years later and he's played one of probably his greatest knocks. I'm sure if you asked him, he'd probably say that that's the knock that he's most proud of in his Test career, and I am pretty sure his teammates who watched it all unfold would probably say the same thing," he said. 'So, it's a great individual achievement for him, and it's a magnificent achievement for the South African team,' Ponting added. UNI BM
Int'l Cricket Council
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Injury concerns hit Australia squad ahead of West Indies Tests
Australia have been dealt an injury blow going into the three-match Test series against the West Indies, with pacer Brendan Doggett ruled out due to a minor hip issue. While Doggett didn't feature in the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final, he was a travelling reserve in the squad. His place will be taken by Sean Abbott, who has featured for Australia in 48 internationals, and has 59 wickets in limited-overs international cricket, but is yet to make his Test debut. Abbott was also a part of the group that travelled to Sri Lanka during their successful outing in the island nation earlier this year. Australia's Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
The Citizen
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
South Africa crowned World Test Championship winners after historic win
Today will go down in history as South Africa were crowned World Test Championship winners for the first time. The Proteas beat Australia by five wickets, clinching the third instalment of the competition. Led by captain Themba Bavuma's 66 runs off 134 balls, and a magical century by Aiden Markram – who eventually scored 136 runs off 207 balls – the South Africans looked in full control during their second innings. Markram walks off after one of the greatest Lord's innings in Test cricket 👏👏 📺 Stream #WTC25 on DStv: — SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) June 14, 2025 Aiden Markram's ton steers the way for South Africa to a historic #WTC25 Final victory 🏆 How the final day unfolded ➡️ — ICC (@ICC) June 14, 2025 'The ultimate Test' The slogan for the championship was fittingly 'the ultimate Test', as the two nations battled to lift the coveted title. The defending champions batted first and put 212 runs on the board. A dismal batting performance by the South Africans saw them only score 138 runs in their first innings. Australia made another 207 runs in their second innings – setting the Proteas a target of 282 runs to be crowned champions, and so they did! 🏆 CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD! 🇿🇦 A 5 wicket victory! The Proteas Men have conquered the Test arena, winning the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final against Australia at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground 🏟️🙌 Undeniable. Unstoppable. Unrelenting. History made at the Home of… — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 14, 2025 David Bedingham (21*) and Kyle Verreynne (3*) stayed at the crease to help secure victory. The championship was introduced in 2019, and South Africa are the third champions. New Zealand beat India for the 2019–2021 title Australia beat India for the 2021–2023 title.
Int'l Cricket Council
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Int'l Cricket Council
Cummins ‘proud' to join 300 club – but wants plenty more
Pat Cummins joined an elite club of Australians to reach 300 Test wickets on day two of the ICC World Test Championship 2025 Final and has his sights set on many more. The Australian captain arrived at Lord's six short of the landmark and reached it in South Africa's first innings courtesy of a devastating spell of quick bowling. The 32-year-old finished with six for 28, four of which came in a quickfire burst after lunch, to help his side establish a 74-run lead which they stretched to 218 by the close with two wickets remaining. He is the eighth of his countrymen to join the 300 club, no mean feat for any bowler but particularly one who he had to wait more than five years for his second Test appearance after a spate of injuries following his debut aged 18. And though Cummins' eyes are on a bigger prize at the Home of Cricket this week, he was delighted to bring up his personal milestone. 'It's really cool, especially knowing there are not too many on that list," he said. "Being a fast bowler, 300 is something I always thought about as a pretty good sign of durability, resilience and longevity. I feel pretty proud to join that group. 'I have had a really good run in the last half a dozen years of not missing many games. In the first few years, I didn't know where my second Test was coming from but now I feel like I have a lot of miles in the legs. 'Gaz (Nathan Lyon) is up past 500, back in the day 300 felt like you were close to the end but Starcy (Mitchell Starc) is almost at 400 as well. 'I don't feel like I'm going to end any time soon. I need to thank the medical staff, the way they looked after me in those early years and the way they manage the fast bowlers, a lot of it is a nod to them.' Cummins is not the only world-class fast bowler on display at Lord's this week, however, and South Africa's seamers combined to make life tough for Australia in their second innings. When their skipper was clean bowled by Lungi Ngidi, his side were sat on a precarious 73 for seven and in need of a partnership – which arrived courtesy of Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc, who added 61 crucial runs. Carey fell shortly before the close for 43 having helped take the lead past 200, the latest in a string of invaluable knocks from a wicketkeeper cherished by his captain. 'It feels like number five, six and seven can be the toughest places to bat,' he said. 'Travis Head and Beau (Webster) have played crucial knocks lately and Carey has been fantastic as well. 'He bats brilliantly with the tail, leading those partnerships, and he puts the pressure back on the opposition when it seems like they are on top. He was brilliant today.' South Africa will have to make the highest score of the match if they are to come out on top, a particularly tough ask if Cummins and his fellow pacemen Starc and Josh Hazlewood are on song. Cummins felt a change in momentum towards his side over the final hour and hopes to carry that into day three. 'If we can get another 20 or 30 in the morning, it would give us a few more options to bowl, a few more aggressive fields and those kind of things,' he said. 'We'll see how we go but we're happy for it (the lead) to be over 200. The mood in the changing room was pretty positive towards the end there, it was a great partnership of 50-odd and it felt like a run chase. 'Every boundary was getting a lot of claps and a lot of noise, especially from Marnus (Labuschagne), he's always pretty noisy. It was a pretty good way to end the day.' ENDS
