London, June 10 (IANS) Australia captain Pat Cummins has backed Marnus Labuschagne to open the innings in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s, a decision that marks a key shift in the team’s top-order strategy.

Cummins has selected Labuschagne to open the innings alongside Usman Khawaja, hoping the 30-year-old can be a long-term solution to the spot that has seen quite a few batters attempt to replace David Warner.

Labuschagne, who has never opened in Test cricket, has just one Test century to his name since the end of 2022 and failed to make much of an impression in two matches for the County side Glamorgan earlier this month.

“I think Cam Green, the last few weeks he’s had, is coming back in great form, we thought he deserves a spot somewhere in the batting line-up. We thought three probably suited him best. And then, you know, with Marnus moving, we thought it’s, you know, one spot up really. It’s not too different from batting at three. He’s done well here in England in the past. You know, all the boys have trained well. He, Sam ( Konstas), and Josh Inglis have all trained really well. But I thought the selectors went with Marnus’s experience, (not only) here at Lord’s, but in England in general,” Cummins told reporters in London on Tuesday.

The skipper further explained that while opening in English conditions presents unique challenges, it can also offer early scoring opportunities, especially before the Dukes ball starts to swing significantly. “Opening the batting can be tough, but it can also be the best time to bat. There’s an opportunity to score there,” he said.

Labuschagne, the former World No.1 Test batter, will walk out alongside Usman Khawaja at the top of the order, with Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Beau Webster forming a solid middle order.

Green returns to the Test side after recovering from back surgery, while Webster retains his spot to offer valuable all-round support, including part-time medium pace and spin.

In the bowling department, Josh Hazlewood has been preferred over Scott Boland, a decision Cummins said was one of the toughest to make. “There are some guys where you generally say you’ve done nothing wrong, don’t change a thing, and that’s Scott. He’s just really unfortunate to miss out,” Cummins said, assuring that Boland remains an integral part of the setup going forward.

Teenager Sam Konstas, who was in contention for a batting spot, has also been left out. But Cummins emphasised that the 19-year-old remains very much in Australia’s long-term plans. “Realistically, he’s really young, he’s got a long career ahead of him. Even by not playing, we hope to show him there are learning opportunities.”

–IANS

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