'Hopefully, it doesn't happen' - Pat Cummins opens up on threat to WTC final as 'Just Stop Oil' protest gains impetus

Australia's Test skipper Pat Cummins hopes that the 'Just Stop Oil protesters' do not end up hindering or sabotaging the much-anticipated World Test Championship clash between the second-time finalists India and Australia who have made it to the summit clash of the tournament for the first time.

Just Stop Oil is an environmentalist group that recently grabbed eyeballs to a major extent after it held up the England team bus that was heading to the Lord's Cricket Ground on Day 1 for the one-off Test against Ireland on June 1. The activist belonging to the group are urging authorities to halt new licences for the exploration of oil and other fossil fuels in the UK.

The activists belonging to the group hindered traffic near The Oval on Monday, June 5 that was eventually cleared by police and then the Australian team was finally able to reach the venue for their training.

"It's something we got in the security briefing a couple days ago. I've heard that they're aware of it and kind of keeping an eye out. But that's as much as we've heard," Cummins told reporters in London as quoted by The Daily Star.

"So hopefully, it doesn't happen, obviously. But yeah, I've heard there's a few different events that have been affected."

Cummins mentioned that the protestors should choose the right way to express themselves and their concerns and added that it was not the right way to have their demands met.

"My view is always just there's right ways to go about things and potentially not the right way to go about things," he said.

"Whenever anyone's got any beliefs, you just hope you take the right option."

India and Australia will take on each other in Test cricket's ultimate showdown starting Wednesday, June 7 at The Oval. This will be the first time Australia will play a WTC final on the other hand India will be making their way into their second-consecutive WTC summit clash.