After bowling Australia to a strong position in the Boxing Day Test on Wednesday at the MCG, captain Pat Cummins declared the nation’s outstanding middle-order was close to reclaiming their best form.
Cummins secured the key Pakistan wickets of Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique in a match-swinging spell in the final session of Day 2 when finishing with 3-37.
After securing seven wickets on Wednesday to bowl Australia out for 318, Pakistan were in a strong position until Cummins delivered a devastating spell, leaving the tourists at 6-194 at stumps.
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Aside from the “dream ball” Cummins delivered to dismiss Azam for one, the failure of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to convert their good starts was again a talking point.
Smith fell for 31 on Boxing Day, taking his tally from three innings this series to 101 runs.
Labuschagne, who missed out in Perth when scoring 16 and two, top-scored for Australia in challenging conditions in the opening innings with 63 before falling to Aamir Jamal.
Both stars have experienced a dip in their batting averages this year, but Cummins pointed out they had toured India and England and were still performing strongly.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if they do (bounce back),” he said.
“I think when they were averaging 60, we thought ‘Oh well, that’s going to be an outlier’ and four or five years later, we’re kind of in awe that they’ve kept up that standard.
“They are still the batters _ it wasn’t that long ago we had the one, two and three ranked (batsmen) in the world right up there _ so I wouldn’t be surprised if they start averaging 60 to 70.
“They have toured India this year and some of the wickets in Australia haven’t been like they were five or six years ago either.”
Cummins equated Labuschagne’s opening innings as comparable to a century given the tricky conditions he batted in and the slowness of the MCG outfield, which was hit by a deluge on both Christmas Day and for a portion of Boxing Day.
“Similar to Marnus’s (score) today, his 60 or 70 was probably worth 100-odd in the context of the game,” Cummins said.
“You see the hours they are putting in in the nets and they are still hitting it as well as they ever have, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they start churning out hundreds all the time.”
The Australian captain was also delighted for Mitch Marsh, who continued his strong form in the all-rounder position with a rapid 41 runs from 60 balls before falling to Mir Hamza.
It is now five years since Marsh was widely booed by the crowd at the MCG after he was brought into the Australian team in place of Victorian Peter Handscomb to play India.
Marsh, who performed superbly during the Ashes when recalled and starred during the ODI World Cup triumph, was warmly welcomed when he walked out to bat on Wednesday.
He was also a hit in the outfield as well, with the crowd becoming increasingly animated the longer the second day of the Test went.
“That was awesome,” Cummins said.
“He actually said that as he was walking off, he’s like, ‘Jesus. It feels a long way away from a few years ago when I got a different reception.’
“I said the same thing in Perth, but the reception in Australia has been awesome for the last couple of weeks since being home from the World Cup.
“Someone like Mitch was front and centre for the T20 World Cup we won a couple years ago (and) obviously he was the vice-captain of the last World Cup that we won.
“He should be getting the reception he is starting to get now. He’s a champion. And as you can see, he’s always up for a good time (and) having a laugh with fans as well.”
Both Cummins and Shafique, who also spoke after stumps, believe the pitch is improving and expect it will become easier to bat on as the Test progresses.
But the Australian captain is confident in the hosts position as it seeks to wrap up the series in Melbourne after a strong finish to the second day.
“I am happy with how we have played. I was pretty happy to get above 300 as a batting group,” he said.
“I thought it was tough work and they were bowling well, so I was happy with our batting performance. And then to have them six down overnight and still a fairway behind puts us in a good position.
“I think the wicket is going to get better and better, so obviously it sets it up nicely for the morning. We got to start well, but (we were) really happy with that last session.”
