"He has run ahead of Jasprit Bumrah" - Aakash Chopra lauds Aussie bowler's spell on Day 2 of 2025 WTC final
Former India player Aakash Chopra has lauded Pat Cummins for bowling a potent spell on Day 2 of the 2025 World Test Championship (WTC) final. He noted that the Australian seamer surpassed Jasprit Bumrah to become the highest wicket-taker in the 2023-25 WTC cycle.
Cummins registered figures of 6/28 in 18.1 overs as Australia bowled South Africa out for 138 in their first innings at Lord's on Thursday, June 12. The defending WTC champions ended Day 2 at 144/8 in their second innings, with a lead of 218 runs.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener praised Cummins for bowling a penetrative spell in the 2025 WTC final and overtaking Bumrah's tally of wickets in the two-year cycle.
"South Africa started with good intent. They played well in the first session, but Pat Cummins came after that. He picked up six wickets. What a bowler. He is probably slightly less celebrated because he has Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood alongside him," Chopra said (3:05).
"However, Pat Cummins, the captain, and Pat Cummins, the bowler, he is a superstar. He has the most five-wicket hauls in this WTC cycle. He has also taken the most wickets. He has run ahead of Jasprit Bumrah," he added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator noted that Cummins relied more on seam than swing and bowled an immaculate length.
"The ball doesn't swing that much when it gets older, and he is not a swing bowler either. He hits the deck hard, and the ball moves left or right after pitching. It seems like every ball is bowled with purpose. There isn't even a single ball that is just floated. He bowls an impeccable length," Chopra observed.
Pat Cummins has picked up 79 wickets at an average of 23.03 in 18 Tests in the 2023-25 WTC cycle. Jasprit Bumrah accounted for 77 dismissals at an average of 15.09 in 15 Tests in the same cycle.
"He repeatedly builds a case that you can actually have fast bowlers as captains" - Aakash Chopra on Pat Cummins
![Pat Cummins has been an immensely successful captain across formats. [P/C: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2025/06/ee318-17497879686402-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Pat Cummins has proved that fast bowlers can be successful captains.
"He repeatedly builds a case that you can actually have fast bowlers as captains. What's the drawback of making a bowler the captain? Either they overbowl themselves or they underbowl themselves. As a bowler, that's a challenge for a captain," he said (4:55).
The analyst highlighted the attributes that make the Australian skipper, who captains the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League, a successful leader.
"You are not allowed to go out as well, and he has been doing that constantly. We saw that in ODIs, the IPL, and he does that job constantly in Test cricket. He doesn't take a break. He is outstanding, supremely fit, very skillful, constantly in for a fight, and a phenomenal leader who uses his bowlers extremely well," Chopra observed.
To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that Pat Cummins has written a bit of history by picking up a six-wicket haul in a WTC final and reaching the 300-wicket mark in Tests. He opined that the 32-year-old will finish his career as one of the greatest captains of his era.