Cummins hits team reset button after Australia fail at Lord's
London: As Australia fought to string out the final day of their failed World Test Championship bid against South Africa, they were also raging against the dying of the light for numerous members of the team.
Skipper Pat Cummins and his fellow bowlers tried everything to induce one more 'choke' from the Proteas, to the point of a few verbal rejoinders reminding Aiden Markram (136) and Temba Bavuma (66) of their side's history.
These exchanges added to the drama of the final day, as the Proteas chased down 282 to forge a five-wicket victory and win the adulation of a huge South African turnout at Lord's. Where the end of the 2023 Ashes Test here had arrived amid ugly scenes of crowd abuse, this time it was unconfined joy for the 'Rainbow nation'.
By bowling tightly and slowing South Africa down, Cummins was effectively praying for a miracle from the second new ball, or a change in the weather, to bring salvation.
'It was kind of just draw it out as long as we can, try and for the pace bowlers, just try and go for two runs an over,' he said. '[Nathan] Lyon was looking really likely and you never know, maybe some clouds come over, maybe a new ball does something different, just try to string it out as more and more nerves play into it as well.'
Cummins also burned through his three reviews in quick time, for a couple of speculative lbw appeals either side of a possible strangle down the leg side. That meant there were none left for a couple far more legitimate shouts against nervous number seven Kyle Verreynne, who ultimately carved the winning runs to the cover boundary.
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That moment ended the WTC cycle for Australia in the knowledge that several players in the side may well be out of it by the time the next championship ends in 2027. Top of that list is Marnus Labuschagne, who looks highly likely to lose his place to Sam Konstas in the West Indies.
After that, 38-year-old Usman Khawaja cannot be expected to keep playing beyond the end of the home Ashes series this summer, and he will need to find better and more proactive ways to combat top-class pace bowling if he is to get even that far.
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