Birthday special: Pat Cummins – Five best spells by the Australian speedster
He will qualify as one of the best bowlers for Australia in modern-day cricket. Pat Cummins can generate extra bounce off the deck, he can get the ball to move in the air and off the pitch as well. Cummins has featured in 41 Tests and 69 ODIs for Australia.
While he has scalped 197 wickets in Test match cricket, he has also prized out 111 batsmen in the ODI format of the game as well. As Cummins turns 29 today, let us delve into the 5 greatest spells bowled by the Aussie paceman in his international career.
5) 5/83 vs South Africa
Even though the Australian side ended up on the losing side in this match, Pat Cummins shone through brightly with the ball in hand. And, this spell features at the No.5 spot because Cummins stood out with the ball when all his other teammates were decimated by the South African side.
The Proteas posted a total of 488 on the board in their first innings, and Cummins was the star performer, picking up 5 wickets, and giving away just 83 runs. Australia could manage to post a total of just 221 on the board in reply. In the 2nd innings, helped by a classic century from Faf du Plessis, the Proteas set the kangaroos a target of 612 for victory. But then, Australia were bowled out for just 119, as South Africa won the match by 492 runs. But then, if there was one shining light in the match for the Aussies, it was Pat Cummins.
4) 5/28 vs New Zealand
In the encounter against New Zealand, Australia batted first and posted a total of 467 on the board. In reply, the New Zealand side was bowled out for just 148, as they were rendered helpless by a devastating spell of bowling from Pat Cummins. The right-arm pacer scalped 5 wickets and gave away just 28 runs in the process.
Australia batted again and set the Kiwis a target of 488 for victory. But, in spite of a century from Tom Blundell, New Zealand went down by a margin of 247 runs.
3) 6/79 vs South Africa
In a pulsating encounter between Australia and South Africa at Johannesburg in 2011, the kangaroos came out on top. South Africa batted first and posted a total of 266 on the board. In reply, the Australians performed marginally better and scored 296.
In the second innings, Pat Cummins wreaked havoc with the ball and scalped 6 wickets, giving away 79 runs. Australia were set a target of 310 for victory, and they went past the finish line with 2 wickets to spare. Cummins also scored the winning runs.
2) 6/27 vs India
At the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Cummins destroyed the Indian batting line up in December 2018. India batted first and posted a total of 443 on the board. In reply, the Aussies were bowled out for a total of just 151. And in the second innings, it was the ‘Pat Cummins’ show with the ball all the way.
The Australian speedster picked up 6 wickets, giving away just 27 runs, as India declared their 2nd innings with their scorecard reading 106/8. Australia were bowled out for a total of 261 in their second innings and lost the match by 137 runs.
1) 6/23 vs Sri Lanka
In January 2019, the Sri Lankan willow wielders had no answers to the questions posed by Pat Cummins. In the first innings, Sri Lanka batted first and were bowled out for a meagre total of just 144. In reply, Australia scored 323. In Sri Lanka’s second innings, Pat Cummins absolutely destroyed the Sri Lankan batting line up.
The Australian pacer picked up 6 wickets, and gave away just 23 runs, as Australia crushed Sri Lanka by an innings and 40 runs. And, Cummins was awarded the Player of the Match award for his scintillating spell with the ball in hand.
