In a scintillating display of fast bowling, Australian captain Pat Cummins emerged as the architect of his team’s dominance in the Melbourne Test against Pakistan. Pat Cummins orchestrated a memorable performance with the ball in both innings, showcasing his relentless accuracy and ability to pick wickets in crucial moments.
An Unplayable Delivery To Babar Azam
The second day of the Melbourne Test witnessed Cummins delivering what could be considered the delivery of the match, dismantling the defenses of the best batter in the Pakistani line-up, Babar Azam. This crucial breakthrough set the stage for Australia’s eventual triumph, and Cummins finished with a fifer in the first innings.
The final session of Day 2 proved to be Cummins’ show. With the partnership between Shan Masood and Shafique posed a threat, with Masood reaching fifty. Just when Pakistan started to gain some control in the match the Aussie skipper brought himself into the attack and dismissed Shafique with a sharp catch off his bowling and breached Babar Azam’s defense with a deceptive back-of-a-length delivery.
Pat Cummins rotated his bowlers brilliantly and Australia picked some crucial wickets as they gained a firm grip on the game. Pat Cummins returned into the attack towards the end of Day 2 and picked his third wicket of the innings with Agha Salman’s dismissal. On the following morning, Pat Cummins set an outstanding off-side trap for Mohammad Rizwan who played straight into the hands of the cover fielder which was just added prior to that delivery. Pat Cummins further got Hasan Ali to complete his 10th fifer in test cricket.
Pakistan Shows Resilience But Pat Cummins Rises With Another Commanding Performance
Chasing 317 on Day 4, Pakistan was dented initially with a big blow as Abdullah Shafique departed for just 4runs. Pak Skipper Shan Masood along with Imam-ul-Haq tried to stabilize the innings but it was cut short by a beauty from the Aussie Skipper. Then, Babar Azam joined hands with his Skipper, both the batters played a few aggressive shots and looked solid in the middle.
Just when the tide was turning in favor of Pakistan, Cummins returned to claim the wicket of his counterpart and kept Pakistan under pressure. However, Mohammad Rizwan displayed resilience, taking charge and defying the Australian attack. Rizwan’s partnership with Agha Salman seemed to stabilize Pakistan’s chase, but Cummins intervened decisively yet again.
Cummins delivered a length ball that deceived Rizwan, resulting in a dismissal controversially involving the third umpire. This decision could be a hot topic for several days. Despite Rizwan’s objections, the decision went in favor of Australia, sparking a collapse as Pakistan lower order fell for the shortball tactics from Australia.
While Aamer Jamal and Shaheen Afridi fell victim to Cummins as the Aussie Skipper claimed another 5-fer to register just his second 10-fer in a test match, Mitchell Starc claimed the remaining scalps in consecutive deliveries to wrap up the victory for the Aussies.
With this Victory, Australia sealed the series 2-0. The third and final Test is set to begin in Sydney on January 3, offering Pakistan an opportunity for redemption and Australia a chance to further consolidate their dominance under Cummins’ leadership.