"Cummins had a terrible day on the field" - Ian Healy questions Australian captain's tactics on Day 2 at Old Trafford
Former Australian keeper-batter Ian Healy reckons that Pat Cummins had a day to forget on Thursday at Old Trafford in Manchester. The Queenslander lambasted the right-arm speedster's tactics both as a bowler and captain, suggesting that he looked clueless.
Cummins' captaincy and bowling have come under backlash after England dominated Day 2 of the 4th Ashes Test in Manchester by taking a 67-run lead. The 30-year-old Australian went wicketless in 16 overs and leaked 93 runs aside from dropping a couple of catches.
It's likely Pat Cummins won't find many more challenging days as captain than he experienced at Old Trafford, writes @ARamseyCricket | #Ashes
cricket.com.au/news/pat-cummi…
Spesking on SENQ 693, Healy observed that Cummins kept bowling to the batters' strength, especially Zak Crawley. He said:
"It was not a day to be proud of whatsoever. We couldn’t keep things tight. Cummins had a terrible day on the field. He dropped two catches and didn’t see one. He kept bowling half-paced half volleys. They bowled straight to (Crawley) early, but you have to get the ball away from them and not hit from their favourite areas."
The 59-year-old added:
"They whacked us left, right and over the top. We didn’t have a fielder on the slog sweep for Travis head but every fast bowler has got someone out on the boundary. It was just incredible.”
Crawley was the star of the show for England as he slammed 189 off 183 deliveries, laced with 21 fours and 3 maximums. The right-hander smashed his 100 off 93 balls and also passed his 150 at almost a run-a-ball. He added 110 with Moeen Ali, followed by 206 with Joe Root.
Australia's spin-bowling coach opens up after an off day on the field:
Australia's spin-bowling coach Daniel Vettori praised Crawley for taking the game to their bowlers and taking full advantage of the benign conditions. As quoted by Perth Now, he stated:
"I think, first of all it, is how well Crawley played. It was an exceptional innings. He was able to take the game to us like he has all series. He doesn't let any bowlers settle and his strike rate is phenomenal. And today he took it to another level. That was the nature of the conditions, too. It was a pretty flat surface, there wasn't a lot of seam or swing on offer. So it made it even more difficult."
A huge day for England.
401 runs scored today for the loss of six wickets.
#Ashes
England will resume on Day 3, with Ben Stokes and Harry Brook at the crease and will look to increase the lead before letting Australia bat again.