“You look at his record” - Pat Cummins backs struggling batter to find form in BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Australia skipper Pat Cummins has backed under-fire Steve Smith to regain his form in the upcoming third Test against India in Brisbane, starting Saturday, December 14. The reaction came as Smith departed for scores of 0, 17, and 2 in his first three outings of the ongoing 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Jasprit Bumrah has already dismissed him twice in the series.
Smith has managed just 232 runs in seven Tests at an average of 23.22, including a solitary half-century this year. He, however, enjoys a good track record against India, scoring 2059 runs in 21 Tests, comprising nine tons.
Cummins shared that Smith is working on his game in the nets while adding that his record speaks for itself. He said in the pre-match press conference (via India Today):
"You look at his record, stats would suggest (runs) are not far around the corner. In particular this year, he's looking fantastic in the nets, just looking really sharp, looking like he's got plenty of time. doing all the right things like he always does."
"He got caught down the leg side last game. I don't know if you can look into that too much, so I'm sure a big score's just around the corner," he added.
"That's the standard we've set for ourselves" - Pat Cummins stresses the importance of home series for WTC final qualification
Pat Cummins further stressed the importance of the home Test series against India concerning ICC World Test Championship (WTC) qualification. The 30-year-old said in the same interaction:
"Winning in Australia is a matter of pride," Cummins stated. "These are our home conditions, and we've grown up playing here. To succeed in the World Test Championship, you need to win all your home series and capitalise on opportunities abroad. That's the standard we've set for ourselves."
Pat Cummins and company beat India by 10 wickets in the second Test in Adelaide to level the five-game series 1-1. That came after the Jasprit Bumrah-led side registered a 295-run win in the series opener.
The hosts will look to avenge the three-wicket loss they suffered at the Gabba in Brisbane during the 2020-21 tour.