Paceman Pat the key to carnage
PAT Cummins has the chance to announce himself as an Ashes game-breaker this morning after claiming the head of the English snake last night at the Gabba.
The great hope of Australian cricket didn’t disappoint in his long-awaited debut on home soil, and his emphatic dismissal of rival skipper Joe Root left an absorbing opening day hanging in the balance.
There would be no repeat of the Mitchell Johnson hurricane from four years ago but on a grinding day for Australia, Cummins fought as hard as anyone and ultimately his class shone through.
Cummins said his dismissal of Root was perhaps the most special of his career.
“It wasn’t an overall plan to him but in terms of fast bowlers’ wickets, it’s pretty much the dream wicket,” he said.
“It’s one of the most satisfying I’d ever got. To set him up with a couple of overs of outswing and then get him with a big inswinger, that only comes off once in a 100 times.
“But when it does, it’s pretty special and fortunately it was their captain so I’m pretty happy with that.
“It’s been such a long buildup (to play his first Test in Australia) and everyone has been talking about this game for months and months, so to get here and the packed house, the singing of the anthem, I thought how good’s this.”
On a desperately tight day of Ashes cricket, England went to stumps 4-196 from 80.3 overs with the grit shown by unheralded rookies Mark Stoneman (53) and James Vince (83) tempered by their stodgy run-rate.
Cummins and fellow quicks will have a shiny second new ball in their hands this morning and must take advantage of a Gabba wicket that started slow but eventually discovered its famed bounce and bite.
Australian selectors have some serious thinking to do in this series after Shaun Marsh’s injury scare and a tough day in the field for the quicks shone a spotlight on their decision to enter with no all-rounder.
In their defence, there may not be a genuine all-rounder in the country that could replicate the role played by Shane Watson four years ago, but Australia could do without the anxiousness of feeling like they are living life on the edge by exposing the No.1 asset that is their pace attack.
However, Cummins eased some of those fears crashing through Stoneman’s stumps and then cannoning into the pads of Root.
The emotion built up from missing so many summers with injury since bursting on to the scene as an 18-year-old in South Africa back in 2011 was etched all over Cummins’ face as he celebrated Root’s wicket.
Given not out by umpire Marais Erasmus, Cummins was adamant Root had been struck plumb and the review confirmed that he was dead-on target.
It was fitting reward for 19 overs of toil but Australia must hit their mark this morning if they are to swing the Test in their favour.
Root is regarded as one of the best batsmen in world cricket but he was dropped from the England team on the last Ashes tour in 2013-14 and he has plenty to think about after struggling his way to 15.
The threat posed by Cummins took on another dimension thanks to a beautiful combination he formed with spinner Nathan Lyon, whose figures of 0-40 from 24 overs did not do him justice.
Mitchell Starc (1-45) nicked off England’s other senior man Alastair Cook in just the third over of the day but from there he and Josh Hazlewood (0-51) failed to penetrate a slow Gabba pitch.
A mixture of nerves and a slightly off-game plan robbed Australia of the fire and brimstone approach they had declared they would take.