Pat Cummins was extremelly pleased with his performance as he went past 300 Test wickets, during the World Test Championship final. It was also the Aussie skipper’s 14th five-wicket haul, ending up with sensational figures of 6/28.
Cummins’ performance saw Australia get a 78-run lead in the first innings and then got the advantage to defend their WTC title.
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Speaking after South Africa were dismissed for 138 in the first innings, he said, “It's way more than I could have asked for.”
“Three hundred is a really big number and I have battled a few injuries and niggles and got through and played well in different conditions, so I am pretty happy.”
Commenting on the pitch, he added, “When the ball got a little bit softer there wasn't too much in it, but it feels like the odd ball is nipping a little bit.”
{{/usCountry}}Commenting on the pitch, he added, “When the ball got a little bit softer there wasn't too much in it, but it feels like the odd ball is nipping a little bit.”
{{/usCountry}}“It feels like if you bowl well it is tough to score runs, so there is a bit in it for both (batters and bowlers).”
After Stumps on Day 2, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi said, “We were still in the game. They did bowl really well but at the end of the day we still had a job to do. The coach asked us whatever we do, to do it with conviction, and if you go out, go out on your own terms. You can also be that guy to turn the game around for the team, that was the mindset. It was tough in the first innings, there was no rhythm, it looked like I was fighting a lot while bowling. Couple of nerves coming back after tea, especially knowing who the guys were in the middle, but he (Bavuma) was asking me to do certain things, I just said let me get into my spell, let me get some rhythm and once I felt it was clicking I just kept running with it.”
“It was pretty exciting, I could hear my name in one of the corners, that's what actually gives you energy when you are bowling such a long spell, the crowd gets behind and you keep going. We are in a good position now, two balls can wrap it up and we are focusing on that. If we are chasing anything under 230.. It won't be easy with the bowling line-up they have but we want to give ourselves the best chance.”