Khawaja, Cummins on verge of creating history vs Proteas in WTC 2025 final
Captain Pat Cummins is just six wickets shy of reaching the 300 mark in Tests, a feat achieved by only seven Australians so far
Aditya Kaushik New Delhi Don't want to miss the best from Business Standard?

As Australia gear up to face South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final starting 11 June at Lord’s, the spotlight will also shine on two of their biggest performers—Usman Khawaja and Pat Cummins—who are both closing in on remarkable personal milestones. Australia are looking to become the first side to retain the WTC mace, and if they are to achieve that, Khawaja’s consistency at the top and Cummins’ firepower with the ball will be key.
With a solid record in the ongoing WTC cycle and years of experience behind them, both players have proven match-winning credentials. But at Lord’s, they will also be chasing history—Khawaja is just 70 runs away from a landmark 6,000 Test runs, while Cummins is on the cusp of becoming the eighth Australian to reach 300 Test wickets.
Khawaja: The run machine approaches elite club
Khawaja has been Australia’s standout batter in the current WTC cycle, amassing 1,422 runs in 19 Tests at an average close to 42. He has struck two centuries and six fifties, giving Australia solid starts at crucial junctures. Overall, he has scored 5,930 runs in 80 Tests at an average of 45.61. With 16 centuries and 27 fifties to his name, he sits 16th on Australia’s all-time run-scoring list.
Khawaja is also one of the top five scorers across all WTC cycles since 2019, and trails only Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne among Australians in that period.
Cummins eyes 300-club, trails only Lyon in WTC era
Captain
Pat Cummins is just six wickets shy of reaching the 300 mark in Tests, a feat achieved by only seven Australians so far. With 294 wickets in 67 Tests at an average of 22.43, he is one of the most lethal pacers of his generation. His current WTC cycle figures are equally impressive—73 wickets in 17 matches, including five five-wicket hauls.
Since the inception of the WTC, only Nathan Lyon has more wickets (210) than Cummins’ 200, underscoring the captain’s impact in crunch games. With a high-octane South African batting line-up awaiting, Cummins could reach the historic mark on the biggest stage of them all.
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