Last Update: March 04, 2023, 18:31 IST
Steve Smith shakes hands with Marnus Labuschagne after Australia beat India in Indore (AP Image)
Steve Smith, who stood in for Australia’s regular skipper Pat Cummins in the third Test, lauded the side for booking a berth in the WTC final.
Australia’s stand-in captain Steve Smith praised his players and support staff after qualifying for the ICC World Test Championship 2023 final.
Australia’s emphatic nine-wicket win over India in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Indore on Friday helped them book a place in this year’s ICC World Test Championship final.
They have been a dominant side in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, winning 11 out of 18 matches. Currently top of the standings with 68.52 per cent of their potential WTC points, Australia will remain in first place regardless of the remaining results in the event.
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The veteran batsman, who stood in for Australia’s regular skipper Pat Cummins in the third Test, lauded the team for booking a berth in the WTC final.
“Qualifying for our first ICC World Test Championship final is incredibly rewarding. This has been a goal of ours for a long time. The players and staff deserve a lot of credit for the level of cricket we have played in the last two years. To finish as World Test Champions would be a great reward for all,” Smith told the ICC.
“Being able to play the WTC final before the Ashes means it will be a great opportunity for our fans to extend their stay at The Oval to come and see us. We still have a Test to play here in India where we hope to keep this momentum going.”
In the post-match press conference, Smith praised his team’s comeback in the third Test after being 0–2 down in the series.
“We were disappointed with the way things ended, especially in the last game and failing to take our chances, and after that second Test we really couldn’t have won the series. It’s always been there for some of us. Has been on the bucket list,” he said.
“For the boys to be able to regroup, trust themselves with what they are trying to do and just try to do it longer. It’s something we’ve talked about and the way we did it this week was really enjoyable.
It’s about taking the result out of the game, believing in our methods over a long period of time, we’re good enough players to get the result more often than not,” he said.
India lead the four-match series 2-1 and have a chance to seal a place in the final with Australia if they win the final Test in Ahmedabad. If they fail to do so, they will have to rely on New Zealand to do them a favor against Sri Lanka.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)