The Australian skipper bagged six wickets in the third Ashes Test.
Australia skipper Pat Cummins was back at the helm after being out of the first two Tests due to his recovery. The Australian side, which was already performing extremely well was bolstered by the comeback of Cummins. The 32-year-old helped his side retain the Ashes series after handing England their third consecutive defeat of the five-match affair.
That being said, Cummins spoke in the post-match interview and reflected on the Test match at Adelaide. He expressed his feelings about the victory, and credited all of his teammates for the work they have put in for the 11 days of Test cricket. However, the Australian skipper was vocal about his availability for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
Truth being told, Pat Cummins would not be risking his body for a series that has already been done and dusted. His injury kept him away from the game for quite a long period of time, after which he was back for the third Test. But with the series in the kitty, Cummins can put his legs up, and choose to watch the game from the sidelines.
“I doubt I’ll be playing Melbourne”, said Cummins in the post-match interview.
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The Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper electing not to be a part of the playing XI for the Melbourne Test would not at all come as a shock for the Australians. Steve Smith, who missed the Adelaide Test because of illness would be fit to bounce back and wear the blazer to the toss. The hosts have shown enough ability to beat the Three Lions with any said combination.
Australia do not need to look anywhere beyond the first two Tests to derive what they are capable of without their skipper. The likes of Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Michael Neser have put in the hard yards, with the left-arm pacer having done a lot of damage to England. As per Justin Langer, the Australians have been playing like a team, which has made their case a lot stronger than England.
England skipper Ben Stokes was quite vocal about the team’s performance after their series loss in Adelaide. He expressed that though the series was lost, there is a lot left to play for in the series for the Englishmen as individuals. Head coach Brendon McCullum voiced concerns about the team’s preparation – something that they were pretty sure about in the lead-up to the series.
The Aussies haven’t had Josh Hazlewood for the series, as he has been ruled out due to injury. Despite that, bowlers like Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett have been instrumental in supporting Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland with some brilliant bowling. With the Ashes retained, it would be interesting to see what combinations Australia opt for in the coming two Tests.
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