It should be no surprise to hear that experienced duo Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne enjoyed plenty of time out in the middle in their first practice session since arriving in the United Kingdom, with openers Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas also seen batting in tandem at times in the three nets in the middle of the ground used by county side Kent.
Konstas and Labuschange both faced their fair share of deliveries during the training session as question marks still remain on who will partner Khawaja at the top of Australia’s batting order ahead of the Test.
Smith, who skipper Pat Cummins confirmed would bat at No.4 in the Ultimate Test earlier this week, spoke briefly with ICC Digital at the end of the training session and said it great to have the majority of the squad assembled in London ahead of the clash against the Proteas that commences at Lord’s on June 11.
“I am excited to be back in the UK (United Kingdom) for another World Test Championship Final,” Smith said.
“It is great to be here and I love playing cricket in England.
“It’s a little bit fresh today and there is a little bit of wind around, but it’s nice to start our preparation and get a bit of rhythm, hit quite a few balls and we are looking forward to Lord’s now.”