Pat Cummins picks his World Test XI, Kane Williamson to bat at No.3

The upcoming ICC World Test Championship final (WTC) is set to be played by India and New Zealand. The event which is three weeks away has already garnered eyeballs with former cricketers and experts picking the favorites among India and New Zealand.

Australia’s premier fast bowler Pat Cummins too was asked to choose between the two sides and Cummins picked his Trans-Tasman rivals as his favorite owing to the overcast and chilly climate in Southampton which is pretty similar to one in New Zealand.

India entered the finals of WTC on the back of some consistent performances in the last two years beating top sides like Australia, England and South Africa. The Men in Blue lost only to New Zealand in a two-match away series in January 2020 and will certainly look to settle scores in the summit clash which will begin on June 18.

On the other hand, the Black Caps were the first team to enter the finals of WTC by being thoroughly dominating at home brushing sides like Pakistan, West Indies, Bangladesh and India.

Cummins who was relentless with his line and lengths during Australia’s shocking loss to India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year was asked to pick World Test XI during his chat with Cricbuzz. The pacer included his Australia teammate David Warner as the opener along with India’s Rohit Sharma. The reason for this was, he feels both are attacking batters and can set the tone for the rest of the batters who can play freely without any pressure.

Pat Cummins picks a strong World Test XI squad

At number three four and five he has picked the ‘Fab four’ of batting Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli and Steven Smith respectively. The pacer added this was a no-brainer considering their consistency in the last four to five years in the red-ball format.

At number six, he has picked his Ashes rival Ben Stokes, who he feels can be the difference with both bat ball. At number seven maverick wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant is slated to come in and Cummins feels his ability to change games within a few overs is what makes him dangerous.

At number eight and nine, he has slotted himself and off-spinner Nathan Lyon, and to round off, he has picked South African pace ace Kagiso Rabada and India’s Jasprit Bumrah. The squad sure looks deadly and can give a run for the money against any top-ranked team.

Pat Cummins’ World Test XI:  David Warner, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson, Steven Smith, Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes, Rishabh Pant (WK), Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Kagiso Rabada,  Jasprit Bumrah.