Cummins expresses excitement to defend World Test Championship title at Lord's

Sydney: Following his side's win over India in the fifth Test, Australian skipper Pat Cummins expressed excitement to defend the ICC World Test Championship title at Lord's against South Africa.

Australia will have the chance to defend their World Test Championship crown, claiming victory over India in the fifth and final Border-Gavaskar Test to secure their place in the Final at Lord's in June.

Speaking during the post-match presser, Cummins said, "We talk about the World Test Championship a lot, it is a trophy we are really proud to hold so we want to go back and defend it."

"I think it is a great tournament in that you have got to play well consistently and across all different conditions against different teams."

Pat Cummins has praised opener Usman Khawaja for his resilient performances during the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, despite not always getting the runs he would have liked.

In the post-match press conference, Cummins spoke highly of the challenges Khawaja faced, acknowledging the difficulty of opening the batting on challenging pitches against top-tier bowling attacks.

"It literally doesn't get any harder than opening the batting on these pitches against a quality bowling attack. It's the hardest job in cricket and I thought he looked really good at times. Sometimes he got some really good balls," Cummins said.

"I think, you know, he looks like he's batting as well as, you know, any other time, so probably overall didn't get the runs he would have liked, but you get innings like today where he just shows his maturity and experience is so valuable," he added.

Khawaja's experience was especially evident in tough moments, and Cummins believes the opener's ability to weather challenging spells reflects his deep understanding of the game.

"So, yeah, who knows? You know, I know he always says age is just a number, so took some good catches in the field as well. Still moving all right. So, yeah, no end date from our end, as long as he's still scoring some runs," he added.

The captain's remarks reinforce the significant role Khawaja plays in the team, not just with the bat but also with his contributions on the field and his invaluable leadership through experience.