Courage abounds, but the greatest eludes Australia as they lose the Test series
Such is the whim of the WTC that it was an unbeaten century before New Zealand veteran Kane Williamson led the Kiwis to a two-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Christchurch on Monday to ensure Sri Lanka didn’t make the WTC Finals could achieve and India had qualified for Australia.
Absent captain Pat Cummins spoke of the final as a reward for sustained success.
Cummins believes Australians initially failed to understand the importance of missing the opening finals of the WTC.
Pat Cummins prepares to throw ahead of the first Test of the summer against the West Indies in Perth.Credit:AP
“I think since we’re new it probably didn’t hit us until the game was actually played and you saw over there [in England] New Zealand did well and you wish you were there,” Cummins said in late November on the eve of the summer’s first friendly against the West Indies in Perth.
“It feels like there’s a little more in it the second time around. It felt like a big missed opportunity, the first.
“So it certainly gives each series a little bit more context now, something big to play with.
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“The big series, say Ashes or India Series, where you play four or five test matches, are obviously big battles, while the more common series, where you play two or three in a series, are [the World Test Championship] gives them a bit more global context and something more to play with.”
But most importantly, Australia need to figure out how to beat India in a series. Could Australia really call themselves the best Test team in the world even if they clinched a one-off victory in the WTC Finals, especially given the conditions likely to favor Australia? India have won just three of 18 test series in England, the last in 2007.
When the dynamic left-hander brought Australia to safety in the fourth and final Test on Monday and scored 90 points, he ensured the team could walk away from the Tour with confidence after such a difficult start to the series.
There is much to look forward to with the forthcoming Ashes.
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https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/courage-abounds-but-greatest-eludes-australia-with-test-series-loss-20230313-p5crre.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_sport Courage abounds, but the greatest eludes Australia as they lose the Test series
