Former England captain Michael Vaughan has praised Australian captain Pat Cummins for his brilliant leadership skills in 2023, which culminated in him leading his team to a Test series victory.
Pat Cummins had a dream year in 2023 as he retained the Ashes, won the WTC final and then won the World Cup and now a Test series win against Pakistan to start the summer.
Pat Cummins took a 10-wicket haul in the match while his fellow pacers also supported him with some good spells of bowling. Chasing 316 to win, Pakistan were dismissed for 237 and Australia won the match by 79 runs. Their figures of 10/97 allowed Australia to clinch the three-match series with one match remaining.
Pat Cummins picked up his 250th Test wicket when he dismissed Mohammad Rizwan (35). That ended a 57-run dispute between the two. Pakistan lost their last five wickets for 18 runs as Cummins and Starc shared the last five wickets between them.
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Michael Vaughan praises Pat Cummins after test series victory over Pakistan
Michael Vaughan While speaking to Fox Sports, he praised Cummins and said that as a player, he is on par with players like Glenn McGrath and Dennis Lillee.
“In years past, he will certainly be talked about in the same breath as McGrath and Lillee. That [bowling] The average is low now, but I think it will improve.” Vaughan said on Fox Sports.
Mark Waugh, who was on the same expert panel for the discussion, said Cummins was plagued by injuries and was unlucky to miss a lot of cricket in his early years.
“I think at the beginning of his career he was unlucky. He didn’t get many wickets in the early part of his career. He only threw it a fraction of distance, but he beat the bat a lot. It took him a while to put up big numbers, but he hasn’t looked back in recent years. He is going to be one of the all-time greats.” Waugh calculated.
In the post-match presentation, Pat Cummins praised the efforts of all his players and spoke at length about how the Test match went. Australia got off to a winning start to the home summer and Cummins, who was also Man of the Match, also spoke about his own performance.
“I love playing here. Boxing Day: The biggest Test match on the calendar. I love the preparation around Christmas. The last few years, the wickets have been nice. You have a few options here, there is a bit of sewing in recent years. I like a little bounce up and down. You can throw some short balls. The run-up is always very nice here,” Cummins said.
He also spoke about the atmosphere in the dressing room when Australia lost four wickets for just 16 runs in the second innings. Mitchell Marsh scored 96 and added key partnerships with Steve Smith (50) and Alex Carey (53) to take Australia past 260.
“It was a huge partnership, it got us back into the game and gave us something to defend. Even on 4/16, the locker room was quiet. We knew someone was going to step forward. Real trust and mutual support in the locker room. Every week, it feels like another match winner rises. Crazy year, many successes on the field. I think we will look back and remember 2023 as one of the special ones. “I have an extra day off, relax for a few days and prepare for the next test.” Cummins concluded by saying.
The third and final Test between Australia and Pakistan will be played at the SCG from January 3 to 7, 2024. Having won the series, they will now aim to sweep.
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