Cricket Opinion: What makes Pat Cummins a generational great in Tests? | Why Pat Cummins is the best Test bowler in the world
Second session of Day 5, 3rd Test, Lahore.
The excitement of the on-field battle between Pakistan and Australia was at its peak among masses even after witnessing two exhausting drawn Tests in succession. Chasing 350, Pakistan were placed at 164 for 3 at the end of the 68th over, and were even aiming to win the Test with the outstanding Babar Azam at the crease.
On the other hand, the Aussies were battling really hard in the middle to draw the first blood post lunch – a breakthrough that could swing the game in their favour.
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins brings himself back into the attack for the 69th over. What followed in the next few overs was nothing short of exceptional from the Australian captain. In the fourth ball of his spell, Cummins traps Fawad Alam plumb in front of the stumps by a full delivery that straightens on off and goes past the outside edge. In the third delivery of his next over, the Australian captain sends down a magnificent toe-crusher to get the all-important wicket of Mohammad Rizwan.
The game turned into the visitor’s favour in the blink of an eye; something they were dreaming prior to these two dismissals. The Aussies never looked back from that point and went on to win the game as well as the series in the end. Cummins’ class oozed for the umpteenth time during that short burst of a spell, which forced an Australian victory out of nowhere.
How does Pat Cummins produce these amazing spells so often?
He was so impactful in the Border-Gavaskar series in 2020-21 that he was awarded man of the series despite Australia losing the series 2-1. He almost wreaked havoc in the mind of every Indian fan by dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara by beauty of a delivery when the Aussies needed a breakthrough.
The next few overs by Cummins that day in Brisbane were among the toughest ones from a batsman’s point of view. It seemed like he was determined to knock India out of the game by his thunderbolts. However, he lacked support as India managed to script one of the most iconic victories in their cricket history.
However, his astounding efforts with the ball were highly praised, even by Indian fans. He was exceptional in BGT 2017 on Indian soil as well. Whenever Australia need wickets, they approach Cummins. This signifies the kind of an outright matchwinner he has been in his 41-matches long test career.
What makes Cummins this good?
First of all, a bowler needs to possess certain abilities to establish himself as a good Test bowler and I feel Cummins doesn’t lack any of those abilities. He has pace, and bowls consistently around 140-145kph. However, his accuracy and consistency is his biggest asset, which can be well imagined from the fact that he concedes just 2.75 per over. He can swing the ball and can get the seam movement off the deck as well.
Most importantly, his ability to replicate success of the same level all around the world makes him different from the other seamers. He averages just 20.49 and has an extremely good bowling strike rate of 44.76 in Australia, England and South Africa combined. More importantly, Cummins has 26 wickets at an average of just 26.38 in Asia, where the wickets are the least likely to be appreciated by a fast bowler. His greatness is evident in that he had the highest number of wickets (12) in the recently concluded series against Pakistan, with both his average (22.50) and strike rate (55.08) being the best on tracks that were the least conducive for seam bowling.
Another aspect of his game that keeps Cummins head and shoulders above the rest of this generation is his ability to bowl long spells even in the hot and humid conditions of the subcontinent. He refuses to give up, runs with the same intensity and delivers almost every ball in the channel of uncertainty. The secret behind Cummins being a bowling machine is his immense dedication to improve his fitness and amazing discipline.
When he toured Pakistan as the best Test bowler of this generation, questions were raised whether he would succeed on the lifeless decks of Rawalpindi, Karachi and Lahore. But he played the most significant role in Australia’s historic series victory and silenced everyone. His success in Pakistan can definitely be considered as another feather in the Aussie skipper’s crown and currently, it’s impossible to deny that Cummins is the greatest Test bowler of this generation.
Written by Debashish Sarangi. Follow Debashish on Twitter today
