India allowed to train at Lord’s while Australia denied access before WTC Final, Pat Cummins responds

Australia’s preparations for the World Test Championship (WTC) final faced a setback after they were denied access to train at Lord’s on Saturday. As a result, the team had to travel three hours to find an alternative practice venue. According to Fox Sports report, the Indian team, currently in England for a five-match Test series, was granted permission to train at Lord’s, which left the Australian camp frustrated.

Australia will face South Africa in the World Test Championship final, starting June 11 at Lord’s. Meanwhile, India’s tour of England begins on June 20, with the two teams set to clash at Lord’s in the third Test starting July 10.

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However, the Australians were allowed access to the venue on Sunday, captain Pat Cummins didn’t hold back from taking a subtle dig at England. He was asked about the heated incident during the 2023 Ashes series, where Australian players faced abuse.

Notably, Usman Khawaja was grabbed by an MCC member as the team headed back to the dressing room after Alex Carey’s controversial run-out of Jonny Bairstow. Following the incident, one MCC member was expelled, while two others received lengthy suspensions for verbally abusing Cummins and his teammates.

Cummins didn’t hold back, stating that those responsible had likely learned their lesson and would behave more respectfully this time.

“I think this is the best version of the stadium this morning. There’s no one around, which is great. I’m sure it will be much more civil this time around. Things got pretty heated in the middle of that Ashes series, but I think a lot of them will have learned their lesson and I’m sure they’ll be very polite,” Cummins told Network 10.