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Pat Cummins savours taking ‘dream’ Joe Root wicket on Day 1 of Ashes 2017-18
Australia pacer Pat Cummins picked up two wickets, including that of England captain Joe Root, on Day 1 of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Thursday.
Australia paceman Pat Cummins said his dismissal of Joe Root was “the dream wicket” and feels the first Ashes Test is evenly poised after the opening day at the Gabba.
Cummins bowled Mark Stoneman (53) before trapping the England captain leg before with a sharp inswinger as Australia hit back to reduce the tourists to 196-4 at stumps on a rain-affected day in Brisbane.
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Injury-plagued quick Cummins ended his first day of Test cricket on home soil with figures of 2-59 and savoured taking the prized scalp of Root for only 15.
“In terms of a fast bowler’s wicket, it’s pretty much the dream wicket and one of the most satisfying I’ve ever got,” said Cummins.
“If the ball is swinging, to set him up with a couple of overs without swing and then try and bowl one big inswinger, it probably only comes off one in a hundred times.
“But when it does it’s a pretty special wicket and fortunately it was their captain, so I couldn’t have been happier with that.”
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James Vince (83) and Stoneman frustrated Australia with a second-wicket stand of 125 after Mitchell Starc got rid of Alastair Cook in the third over of the day, but England lost three for 33 following that impressive partnership on a slow pitch.
Cummins thinks the Australia pacemen will have to hang in there when Dawid Malan (28 not out) and Moeen Ali (13no) resume facing the second new ball on day two.
“It’s pretty evenly poised,” Cummins said. “I don’t think we’re going to blast them out tomorrow, it’s about staying disciplined and bowling good balls.
“I still reckon it might take another day or so to get back to the really quick Gabba that everyone is expecting.”
