As Australia begin preparations for the World Test Championship final against India, the men from Down Under would be eager to put their past struggles at The Oval behind them.
In over 140 years of Test cricket in England, Australia have had one of the worst records at The Oval, which will host the final from June 7 to 11 between the top two Test sides.
Australia, who played at The Oval in 1880 in what was the first-ever Test in England, have managed a mere seven wins from 38 Tests at the famous South London venue, putting their success rate at the venue at 18.42 per cent, their poorest across England.
Australia have won just twice in the past 50 years at The Oval. On the other hand, they have 17 wins from 29 matches at The Lord’s at a success rate of 43.59 per cent, which is better than hosts England’s 39.72 per cent from 141 games and South Africa’s 33.33 per cent at the same venue.
Former opener Matthew Hayden thinks Australia will not head into the WTC final with any advantage because the match will be played at The Oval.
“You’ve got two of the greatest nations in cricket in India and Australia. Being at The Oval, it’s a good opportunity for it to be a venue which doesn’t necessarily favour one particular side or the other.
“It’s by tradition England’s bounciest, more even surfaces. It doesn’t favour the spinners, doesn’t really favour the seamers so it’s quite a neutral venue. It’s nice to see them playing in that venue in particular, had it been at the Lord’s, Australia would have had a huge advantage there,” he said.
India, on the other hand, haven’t fared too well at the venue either having won two, drawn seven and lost five games. But the Rohit Sharma-led side will be boosted by the 157-run win over England here in 2021, which was their first Test victory at the venue in 40 years.
Australia had their first full training session in the UK on Thursday in Beckenham, which is 20km from central London. And while The Oval is likely to favour the pacers, Beckenham is known to have a batter-friendly track.
Written with inputs from PTI
Hayden’s tip: Mind the process
New Delhi: Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden feels India’s title drought in ICC events is a mindset issue.
“It’s certainly not a question of skill. So, it has to be a question of just the opportunity and the mindset going in. I mean, cricket is life here, it is the DNA of sport and has no other competitors.
“There is one sport and it is cricket so it’s a mindset thing, being cautious about looking for the scoreboard and looking for the titles. Just playing and being a part of process, something... Gujarat Titans have done really well this year (in the IPL) and CSK have done very well. Mumbai Indians as well believe in a certain process.
“So, that would be my advice to Indian cricket to forget the outcomes, but buy into the process,” Hayden said.
Hayden also had rich praise for Shubman Gill. “You will see a lot of Shubman Gill for the next 15 years,” he said.
Written with inputs from PTI
