Australia is all set to lock horns with South Africa in the final of the World Test Championship (WTC) at the Lord's in London from June 11 to 15 as they look to defend their title.
To make it to the final, Australia went head-on against India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they comfortably won 4-1 at home. On the other hand, South Africa had a relatively easy route to the final.
It's Test cricket season as the WTC final will be followed by a five-match series with India touring England from June 20 — something Marnus Labuschagne noted, calling India, England, and Australia the pillars of Test cricket as he urged other teams to step up quickly.
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Check out what the Aussie number 3 had to say about the dominance of the big 3 sides in Tests.
Marnus Labuschagne makes a bold Big 3 Test cricket claim
In the build-up to the WTC final, Labuschagne spoke to ICC about the excitement that the Test championship has brought over the last couple of cycles, bringing all the teams into the mix and increasing the competitiveness.
"It is an exciting tournament. It means every Test you play has something on it — it brings all the countries into play, and anyone can make the final. You’re playing for a trophy at the end of a two-year cycle. I think it has worked great. Two years ago, when we beat India, it was awesome," he said.
"Every time Test cricket is on, people want to watch it. India, Australia and England are probably carrying a bit of the load of Test cricket, but we really want to see all the countries keep producing great players and being part of upholding such an amazing tradition of Test cricket," the Aussie added.
Labuschagne also appreciated the South African side ahead of the WTC final, calling them a well-balanced team while expressing his excitement of facing the WTC 2023-25 table-toppers in the final.
"South Africa has been a very good team in this cycle, on paper it’s a well-balanced side and they have some really nice players," he said
"It will be a good challenge for us, and we are going to have to be on our game. Playing at Lord’s is always special with the history and what is involved with playing there. It’s going to be an awesome week and another great match," he added.