"Hopefully, much the same" - Pat Cummins hopes for more assistance from MCG track ahead of Boxing Day Test

Australian captain Pat Cummins hopes for the pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) against Pakistan to offer significant assistance to the quick bowlers. The right-arm speedster reflected that the quicks hardly earned any assistance in the first few Boxing Day Tests he played in.

Australia has lost only two Boxing Day Tests in recent years, both of which came to India in 2018 and 2020. The home side have comfortably beaten the likes of South Africa, England, and New Zealand, largely due to good bowling performances.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, Cummins reflected on the year gone by, stating he feels in a good place with his game and captaincy.

As quoted by nine.com.au, he stated:

"My first few Boxing Days, there wasn't much in it (the pitch) for us quicks. Now it's been a bit green, bit of grass, some good pace about it. Hopefully, much the same. There's been a lot of experiences this year. You've got to use them to hopefully help you. I feel in a really good place with my game and captaincy."

The New South Welshman enjoyed a good game with the ball in the opening Test against Pakistan in Perth. He took 2 wickets in the first innings, followed by the decisive scalp of Babar Azam in the 2nd as Australia emerged victorious by 360 runs.

Pat Cummins strikes bumper deal in IPL 2024 auction

Meanwhile, Cummins fetched an enormous ₹20.50 crore amount from the SunRisers Hyderabad during the IPL 2024 auction held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. As a result, he became the costliest player in auction history, surpassing Sam Curran, who had attracted a bid of ₹18.50 crore.

However, the record was soon broken by his fellow countryman Mitchell Starc, who went to the Kolkata Knight Riders for a jaw-dropping ₹24.75 crore. Both of them had skipped IPL 2023, citing a busy international schedule, but will feature this year to keep themselves in good stead ahead of the T20 World Cup.