"Favorite child of God" - Fans react after Pat Cummins' clutch knock in AUS vs PAK 2024 1st ODI
Fans online have reacted to skipper Pat Cummins taking Australia over the line in the first ODI fixture against Pakistan on Monday (November 4) at the MCG. Cummins contributed 32* off 31 and also took two wickets in his first ODI appearance after the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Batting first, the Men in Green got off to a bad start, losing four wickets before the halfway mark. However, skipper Mohammad Rizwan (44) and Naseem Shah (40) made valuable contributions to push the team's score to 203. Mitchell Starc was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts with three scalps.
In response, Australia lost their openers early but were supported by an 85-run stand between Josh Inglis (49) and Steve Smith (44). However, their dismissals open the floodgates for the visitors.
Coming at No. 9, Cummins displayed nerves of steel to cross the line safely along with Starc (2*) in the 34th over and help the side win by two wickets.
Cummins, in particular, earned praise from the cricket fraternity and fans for his yet another match-winning performance for Australia in crunch time. Here's how they reacted on X:
Here are some more reactions:
"Do we have a count of games that Pat Cummins has managed to win for Australia with the bat? This man is something else," a fan tweeted.
"Pat Cummins is the backbone of the Australian cricket team. Be it bowling or batting, he makes important contributions everywhere. In other words, he is like a one man army for his team," another posted.
"Be it World Cup, be it the Ashes, be it the bilaterals... Pat Cummins, the man for the crunch situation with the bat as well, ice cool," a fan noted.
"Pat Cummins bat in hand game on the line is the greatest to ever do it," another tweeted.
Pat Cummins-led Australia equaled an ODI record with a win against Pakistan
With an impressive performance against Pakistan, the Australian team now share an ODI record, which was solely held by the West Indies. They now have the joint-most ODI wins (71) against Pakistan in the 50-over history. Notably, Australia secured an eight-wicket victory against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup final.
Sri Lanka (59), England (57) and India (57) are placed in the subsequent positions in terms of the number of ODI wins against Pakistan.
Pat Cummins and Co. will clash with Pakistan in the second ODI fixture on Friday (November 8) in Adelaide. It might turn out to be Cummins' last appearance in the series, as he will skip the Perth ODI to focus on the Test series against India.