Matthew Hayden gave special recognition to Pat Cummins, lauding the Australian captain’s ability to use the slope at Lord’s, challenge the off-stump, and force the South African batsmen to play regularly. In addition, the former Australian opener praised Cummins for taking 300 Test wickets despite missing five and a half years of play because of injuries.
Australia’s pace three helped the Baggy Greens create a sizable first-innings lead against South Africa in the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) final at the Lord’s Cricket Ground on Thursday, June 12, and Matthew Hayden was full of praise for them.
The eighth Australian bowler to reach 300 Test wickets was Cummins. He accomplished the feat on Day 2 of the WTC final by dismissing Kagiso Rabada to end the first innings for South Africa with outstanding scores of 6/28.
In order to force batters to play continuously, Cummins uses the slope, challenges the off stump, and hits the top of the stumps. Despite missing five and a half years of bowling owing to injuries, he currently has over 300 Test wickets. India Today cited Matthew Hayden as stating, “That’s extraordinary.”
Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were excellent in supporting Cummins. Hazlewood dismissed the dangerous Tristan Stubbs, while the left-arm pacer dispatched the openers with the new ball.
According to Matthew Hayden, Australia’s best seam-bowling attack ever is made up of Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc. He gave them a higher ranking than the renowned trio of Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, and Glenn McGrath.
Because they have bowled more together and in more combinations, Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc may be Australia’s greatest pace attack ever—even better than McGrath, Gillespie, and Lee. When Nathan Lyon is included, it becomes a “awesome foursome.” Despite the pressure, Australia performed well to pull ahead. This was a seesaw contest because of South Africa’s fierce retaliation. So far, the Test match has been amazing, and Day 3 promises even more drama, Hayden added.
Matthew Hayden noted that while bowlers have dominated the WTC final, hitters have not performed at their best, particularly when facing the swing that has been available at the legendary stadium.
An same amount of wickets have been lost throughout the two days, according to Day 2 performance. When it comes to batting in Test matches, batters appear to be a little rusty. Footwork has become challenging because to the lateral movement; they are being hit on the pads and edging deliveries. This match has been dominated by bowlers,” Matthew Hayden remarked.
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