Marnus Labuschagne’s credentials as an opener will receive an instant examination, with Australia set to bat first in the World Test Championship final. South African captain Temba Bavuma won the toss and elected to bowl first in the showpiece Test match at Lord’s. It means Labuschagne — elevated to open with the return of West Australian Cam Green — will walk out with Usman Khawaja. Green is playing his first Test for 16 months after radical back surgery. South African pair Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen are poised to open the bowling in a pace attack that also includes Lungi Ngidi. While overhead conditions are cloudy in London Australian captain Pat Cummins says he was happy to bat and predicted a dry wicket could bring spinner Nathan Lyon into play late in the match. Wickets in the United Kingdom have been dry early this season, but tenants Middlesex have put up big scores at Lord’s in recent weeks. “We’re happy to bat first. It looks like a pretty good wicket, few clouds but it’s pretty normal for England and it looks pretty dry, it might turn later in the match,” Cummins said. He also dismissed concerns over their build-up to the match, which has seen players fly in from across the world. “It’s been great, I think it’s just something you get used to, the more you play. There are some people from India, from Australia, (some have been) over here, Smithy (Steve Smith) from New York,” Cummins said. “We have had about a 10-day preparation and we are ready to go.” England champion Stuart Broad — who dominated at Lord’s and has spent the week as a bowling consultant with South Africa — said the overhead conditions are crucial at the famous ground. “The famous saying here is you look up, not down. It is a reasonable surface, but the reason South Africa won the toss and bowled is because of the clouds,” he said. “When you bowl, you are hoping it doesn’t get to day five, you are trying to get seven, eight wickets a day and make the breakthroughs.” As confirmed by Cummins on Wednesday, Josh Hazlewood has been favoured to Scott Boland and Sam Konstas misses out to make way for Labuschagne at the top of the order.