The ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 is coming close, and batting orders for Australian teams have yet to be confirmed, but lastly, Australian skipper Pat Cummins confirmed the batting position of ace batter Steve Smith in the WTC Finals against South Africa.
Steve Smith takes a key position in the mid-order as Smith is key to Australia’s batting lineup in a key one-off Test match.
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Which position is Steve Smith batting?
Pat Cummins confirmed that Steve Smith will hit in his favorite number four position in the WTC 2025 final against South Africa. Cummins confirmed Smith’s batting position in a conversation with a grade cricketer at Prime Video Australia.
“You can see that Smudge bats at 4. Everyone else, I’m not happy, but you can see that Steve Smith will be number 4,” Pat Cummins said.
Smith played a key role in Australia’s victory in the previous WTC 2024 Finals against India as he scored a ton in the first innings and set the tone for the team.
Cummins’s title defence is a difficult challenge and there are no teams yet to defend the WTC title. Australia defeated India in the border and Gavaskar trophies, confirming their spot in the finals and also eliminated the previous year’s runner-up from the final.
Steve Smith’s record in No. 4
Steve Smith is mostly batting fourth in his Test career and has a great record in batting at 4 o’clock. Smith scored 6,531 runs in 74 Test matches and batted in the fourth slot with an average of 61.61.
Smith destroyed the centres of the 23rd and 26th centuries in fourth place in the red ball format. Smith has to do his best and play the best game against Proteas to defend the WTC title.
Australia is paying attention to protecting WTC titles properly
Australian skipper Cummins is now heading to defend the title by leading Australia to win the Maiden WTC title in the previous edition. Cummins highlighted their performance in the WTC 2023-25 cycles to Sri Lanka, winning the series under extremely strict spin conditions.
The Australians went to New Zealand and beat them at their homes, so their side became a complete team. Australia missed out on the first edition of the WTC Finals, but then they made it to the finals for the second time in a row, and if they win the WTC Finals again, it would be a historic moment in Australian cricket.
Cummins also thrilled praise on the Protea side as there are multiple matchweiners in playing the XI, pointing out the experiences of Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj.