Australia
captain Pat Cummins at the post-match presentation: “Things can change pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it
was a bridge too far.”
On what
Australia could have done differently: "Having a decent first-innings lead, that’s
where you want to bat the opposition out of the game. If we bat another session,
the conditions can help us a little bit more. They were fantastic in that
fourth innings. There wasn’t a lot in the wicket but they didn’t give us a
chance.”
On whether
the conditions or their top seven’s batting hurt them: “It’s been a wonderful two years. The guys
have performed really well to get us here. It didn’t come together this game.
For the first two days, the bowlers were fantastic. Maybe a little bit of both.”
On South
Africa: “They showed
why they’re in this final and deserved champions. All facets on all four days,
they kept themselves in the game. When they got a sniff, they took a few
wicket. They were fantastic.”
On the
World Test Championship format: “I preferred it at The Oval last time [when Australia beat
India in 2023]. It’s fantastic. It’s the pinnacle. I love Test cricket. It’s
something you build towards for two years, it’s a huge achievement to make the
final, and then a one-game shootout, I think it’s a fantastic spectacle.”