Pat Cummins' Australia denied access to Lord's two days before WTC final over India training — what is the controversy?

Australia and South Africa are all set to lock horns in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-2025, which will begin on 11 June. With the clock ticking on the final clash, a controversy erupted when the Pat Cummins-led side was not permitted to train at Lord's on Saturday, reported FoxCricket.

According to the report, Australia are in London to play for the WTC title but were booted from their planned training session at Lord's. The reason? The Indian cricket team was granted access to the hallowed ground instead.

Though India failed to qualify for the WTC race back in January, they managed to muscle their way into the Lord's on Saturday and the Australian players had to look for alternative facilities.

As Lord's was reportedly unavailable for the Australians, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green were forced to make a three-hour round trip to Beckenham in South London to train.

The Indian cricket team won't play at Lord's until 10 July. However, giving them a full session at the venue has ignited a controversy. Some even pointed out India's influence on the world's cricket.

India vs England Test series

India will be playing a 5-match Test series with England, beginning 20 June and concluding on 27 July. India will be led by Shubman Gill this time as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin have announced their retirement. Rishabh Pant has been announced as India's vice-captain.

India will play their third Test at Lord's against England from 10 July onwards.

‘Wished for a better treatment’

Meanwhile, Australian skipper Pat Cummins did not make it a big deal, but during the press conference on Monday, he wished for better treatment at the Lord's.

The Lord's, considered to be a Mecca of cricket, is where Australia and South Africa will clash for the WTC 2024-25 finals.

“There’s no one around, which is great. I’m sure it will be much more civil this time around. Things got pretty heated in the middle of that Ashes series, but I think a lot of them will have learned their lesson and I’m sure they’ll be very polite,” Cummins said while speaking to FoxSports.

The Australian cricket team are looking to win consecutive WTC titles under the leadership of Pat Cummins, while South Africa have eyes set on their first major ICC trophy since 1998.