'Time to reset': Aussies vow to bounce back with fresh start

Australia to turn attention to their 2027 World Test Championship aspirations as they begin the new cycle in 11 days' time

Pat Cummins believes Australia's Test team is headed for "reset" as they look to give opportunities to players they hope will give them another crack at a World Test Championship in two years' time.

Australia let slip a second consecutive World Test title on Friday and Saturday as South Africa completed a stunning fightback at Lord's to claim their first major ICC trophy led by opener Aiden Markram's sensational 136.

01:26 Play video Day 4 Wrap | Markram magic seals Test title for Proteas

His contribution was in stark contrast to Australia's new-look top three who managed 49 runs between them across both innings, with Marnus Labuschagne and No.3 Cameron Green batting in positions they never had before in Test cricket.

While Australia remain the No.1-ranked Test team by quite a margin having not lost a series in the 2023-25 period, Cummins said the distinct two-year Test cycles under the WTC format presented an opportunity to build towards the next final similar to how they would with the 50-over team across a four-year ODI World Cup cycle.

Cummins' side begin the new WTC cycle almost immediately when the first of three Tests against the West Indies begins in Barbados in 11 days' time.

"It does feel like a little bit of a fresh start," the Aussie skipper said after his side's five-wicket loss to South Africa on Saturday.

"Fast forward a couple of years, you start thinking about who's going to win, hopefully if we make the final, who's going to be in that?

"Do we want to get some games into them? Do we feel like now is the right time to change? Or do you hold with the team that got us to the final?

"We've got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so we'll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game.

"But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset.

"It's probably more for the selectors and for me to sit down and map it ahead.

"In white-ball series, a lot of the time you build on four-year cycles for around World Cups for ODIs. Maybe it's an opportunity in the Test match (arena) to do something similar, but it's a little bit early to tell."

10:18 Play video Time to reset ahead of Windies Tests: Cummins

Steve Smith avoided surgery after dislocating his finger while fielding at slip on day three, but his timeline to return to the side is unclear with his right little finger set to be in a splint for eight weeks.

Smith will travel to the Caribbean with the Test squad where he will continue to be assessed by medical staff, and he could return to the side sooner if he is able to tolerate batting with a splint on.

Cummins said all players would be back in the conversation for the first Test in the against the West Indies.

"Guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland and Josh Inglis – all those guys who are right on the fringes," he said.

"After this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation, and it's a little bit of a reset for that first Test (in Barbados)."

Cummins also backed 38-year-old opener Usman Khawaja to rediscover his best after a challenging six months in seaming conditions in Australia (against India) and at Lord's (in the WTC final) either of his take down of Sri Lanka's spinners in Galle.

"The beauty of someone like Davey (Warner previously) or 'Uzzie' (Khawaja) going through a little bit of a lean patch later in their career, you know they've got out of it before," Cummins said.

"So they've got a good record of dragging themselves out and finding their best.

"But like anyone else, you’ve got to be scoring runs, you’ve got to be taking wickets.

"(Khawaja) obviously would like a few more runs. Going into that Sri Lanka series, his name was thrown up there publicly and he scored a double hundred and showed how good he is.

"I'm sure runs aren't too far away."

Cummins declared the series against West Indies beginning at Kensington Oval, Barbados on June 25 would be crucial in setting the side up for the 2025-27 WTC cycle.

"To make these finals, it's normally off the back of being really strong at home but you've got to win some away series, and we get to do it straight away, a three-Test match series, you’re straight into really important cricket," he said.

"That's one of the good things about the World Test Championship, every Test series and Test match feels like you're playing for something significant.

"So in some ways, it's good that we get to dust ourselves off and turn around in a couple of weeks to start looking ahead to the next one."

World Test Championship Final

June 11-15: South Africa win by five wickets

Broadcast exclusively on Prime Video in Australia. Sign up here for a 30-day free trial

Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

South Africa XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Temba Bavuma (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

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