ICC WTC Final: Boost for India as Australia’s Poor Record at Oval Pose a Threat: The preparations for the ICC WTC Final are in full swing as we inch closer and closer to the marquee clash between India and Australia. The stage is all set and the teams, too, are building up nicely for the epic clash to get the crown of the World Test Champions.
However, amidst all the preparations and strategising, Australia will be wary of the fact that they haven’t fared well enough at the Oval in London through the course of the history of test cricket. Australia’s struggles at the Oval have been visible, which team India would be determined to exploit and pose a threat.
Ever since the first test match in England in 1880, Australia’s win percentage at this venue has been concerning. In 38 outings so far, Australia has managed to seal just seven wins which makes their win percentage 18.42, the least compared to all the England venues.
To further put a dent in their aspirations, Australia has won just two games here at the Oval in London in the last 50 years. However, Australia’s record at other English venues is decent. At Lord’s Australia has fared better than England itself with a success rate of 43.59 per cent. England has a win ratio of 39.72 at the Lord’s.
Unfortunately, the concerns to win at the Oval in London are not one-sided. India doesn’t possess a great record at this venue either. Team India has lost five games, drawn seven and won just two games at the Oval in London. But, the blessing in disguise for the Indians would be, of the two wins at the Oval, one has come in 2021 when India hammered England by 157 runs.
India’s win over England at the Oval in 2021 was the former’s first victory in 40 years at this venue.
So the struggle is there for both India and Australia, however, the players will be motivated by their overall performance throughout the 2-year WTC cycle to reach the final.
Both India and Australia have begun their training sessions after landing in England a couple of days ago. While Australia will train at Kent’s out-ground across the weekend, India is honing their skills at Arundel Castle Cricket Club in Sussex.
The teams will be granted access to the Kennington Oval in London just two days prior to the ICC WTC Final, which is scheduled to begin on June 7.
ICC WTC Final: India & Australia Finalised Squad
The Squad for India and Australia have been finalised by the respective cricket boards for the ICC WTC Final 2023.
India’s Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KS Bharat (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohd. Siraj, Ishan Kishan (wk)
Standby players: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Suryakumar Yadav
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Josh Inglis (wk), Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, David Warner
Standby players: Mitch Marsh, Matthew Renshaw
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For more details head to ICC’s official website.
