"Tactically, Pat Cummins did a very, very good job" - Mike Hussey
Former Australia batter Mike Hussey hailed Pat Cummins' captaincy after the fourth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) ended in a draw.
Australia had England nine wickets down with two overs to go, but Stuart Broad and James Anderson managed to hang on and deny the hosts a win.
Hussey, however, said Cummins did well as captain and nearly got the job done. Speaking to Cricbuzz, the 46-year-old said:
"I thought he was very good. I would give him a very good mark out of 10. I think the way he rang the changes today, he changed the bowlers around from different ends. I thought his field positioning was excellent as well. Almost got the job done."
Hussey said the only question was whether Cummins may have made the choice to declare earlier in their second innings to give the bowlers more time to knock England over, but admitted that tactically, he was spot on.
"The only thing is, if he had the chance again, would he have maybe declared perhaps half an hour earlier? They had plenty of runs on the board for that pitch. England were always going to struggle to get that many. But tactically speaking, he did a very, very good job," Hussey elaborated.
He also praised how Cummins handled his bowling while also captaining the side.
Hussey noted that while he didn't pick up a wicket for a while in the second innings, he came back to bowl a brilliant spell, dismissing Jos Buttler and Mark Wood in the same over.
"Cummins didn't pick up a wicket in the second innings for quite a period of time and I was wondering if he was juggling in his mind between his captaincy side of things and the bowling side of things. But then, he was able to compartmentalise that, come back on for that amazing spell. He saw the moment and seized the moment."
"He is a captain's dream" - Mike Hussey on Scott Boland
Aussie pacer Scott Boland followed up his brilliant performance in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne with yet another good showing at the SCG. The pacer returned figures of 4/36 in England's first innings and 3/30 in their second essay.
Having made his Test debut at 32, Boland is a late entrant into the international arena, but Mike Hussey said he had the advantage of experience and knowing his best game.
"I think the advantage he's got is he has played a lot of First-Class Cricket. He has a great understanding of his game and what he needs to do to have success. Quite often when young players come into the Test match arena, they are still trying to find out what their best game looks like and what it feels like."
Hussey went on to lavish praise on the fast bowler, saying:
"Scott Boland has been around for a long time, he's had a lot of success. He thoroughly deserved his opportunity to play for Australia. And what a performance it's been in his first two Test matches. The showing in Melbourne, he showed that it wasn't just a flash in the pan and he can back it up with another fantastic performance."
In conclusion, the southpaw said:
"He's a captain's dream. He's so disciplined with his line and length. I think he's the most accurate bowler that's ever played for Australia."
With Australia leading the Ashes 3-0, the final Test in Hobart is set to begin on January 14.