Cummins back and delivering with speed

RANCHI: Pat Cummins exceeded expectations in his first Test match in more than five years and the speedster will pose a sweet selection headache for Australia, bowling coach David Saker said yesterday.

Long touted as a future leader of the pace attack, Cummins made a stunning seven-wicket debut in South Africa as an 18-year-old in 2011 but has since been beset by injuries. After a fractured foot ended spearhead Mitchell Starc’s India tour, the selectors took a gamble of sorts by plucking Cummins out of domestic cricket and planting him into the team for the third Test against India.

The right-arm pacer grabbed the opportunity with both hands, breathing fire on a placid track and claiming four wickets to help restrict India to 360-6 in reply to Australia’s first-innings total of 451.

“I thought last night he bowled particularly well but today he backed that up and to produce some of the balls he produced to get wickets is pretty exciting,” Saker said. “Hats off to the selectors to go with him. It’s so pleasing to see him go so well.” – Reuters