"Pat Cummins Ruled Cricket In 2023" - Twitter bows down to the Australian skipper for his 10-wicket match haul in the 2nd AUS vs PAK TestÂ
Pat Cummins picked up his second 10-wicket match haul to propel Australia to a memorable Boxing Day Test win over Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Friday. The skipper led from the front to finish with figures of 5-49 in the second innings, while his first innings figures read an equally impressive 5-48.
The right-arm pacer stepped up for his side in the second innings when it seemed like Pakistan would defy the odds to chase down the 317-run target set by the hosts. The Men in Green were inching close to the total courtesy of a solid partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha.
But Cummins claimed the key wicket of Rizwan to open the floodgates and pave the way for Australia. He chose to accept the extra half hour of play offered by the umpires and continued to wreak havoc. He followed it up with the wickets of tail-enders Ameer Jamal and Shaheen Afridi to pick up his second five-wicket haul of the Test.
The Twitterati were full of praise for the Australian captain, who in truth has had the greatest 2023 among all players.
Here are some of the reactions:
"Even at 4/16, the dressing room was calm" - Pat Cummins
Australia are running rampant in their home season so far with two consecutive wins against Pakistan to start things off. The defending World Test Championship (WTC) winners have made a solid start to the 2023-25 campaign and will be looking to pile on more points with three more Tests at home remaining in the coming set of weeks.
Cummins was declared the Player of the Match during the post-match presentation for his heroics with the ball.
"Anything above 300 was the aim, we had enough to bowl at, little bit tight. Steve's and Marsh's partnership really got us back in the game. We were behind, they were bowling well, had their tails up. That was a huge partnership. Even at 4/16, the dressing room was calm. Every week, it feels like another match-winner stands up. Crazy year, lots of success, will remember 2023 as one of the special ones," Cummins said
Australia will face Pakistan in the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), which will also be David Warner's final Test appearance.
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