"Previous winner hosts that for the next time" - Pat Cummins makes interesting suggestion ahead of SA vs AUS WTC final 2025

Australian skipper Pat Cummins suggested that the winner of the previous World Test Championship (WTC) edition should have hosting rights for the subsequent WTC final. His remarks came ahead of the 2025 WTC final between Australia and South Africa to be played at Lord's, starting June 11.

Venues across England (Southampton, Oval, and Lord's) have thus far played host to all three WTC finals. This is despite England failing to qualify on all three occasions.

India and New Zealand played the first WTC final in 2021, followed by Australia taking on India in the previous WTC final in 2023. The Aussies will look to defend their title when they take on the Proteas in the third WTC final.

Talking to the media ahead of the summit clash, Cummins said (via India Today):

"Logistically, it seems like that's probably the easiest way to have one venue. It'd be nice, maybe the previous winner hosts that for the next time, or something like that. But as an alternative, I think having it at Lord's every cycle is also a pretty good place."

A win will make Australia the first multi-time winner of the WTC trophy, while a South African victory will be their first ICC title since the 1998 Champions Trophy.

"ODI World Cup of 2023 is going to be hard to top" - Pat Cummins

Australia overcame all odds to win the 2023 ODI World Cup in India [Credit: Getty]

Pat Cummins placed Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup title above the WTC victory in the same year. Under his captaincy, the Aussies won back-to-back ICC titles in 2023, with a chance of making it three in the last two years with the upcoming WTC final against South Africa.

"The ODI World Cup of 2023 is going to be hard to top, that's number one for me. The last four years or so have been hugely successful for this group and it's (been) such a great chunk of our careers for players and staff," said Cummins (via aforementioned source).

He added:

Having two maces is a really significant thing to show for that period of time – we feel like we have been the best team in the world across all different conditions and to hold the mace at the end of that would be a great sign of something to point to now but also down the track."

Australia, however, could not advance past the semifinal in the last two ICC events - the 2024 T20 World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, under Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith.