Knox: Cummins a craftsman at the peak of his powers
By Malcolm Knox
On a day when Australia’s bowlers put away the hammer and went to work with the chisel, Patrick Cummins took his 200th wicket in Test cricket. That Cummins has reached this mark so quickly (44 matches) and so cheaply (21.7 runs per wicket) is not at all surprising.
Since his debut in 2011, and even during the six years of injury and recovery that followed, Cummins was Australian cricket’s most confident investment in long-term success. Nothing is inevitable in sport, but every now and then something can seem as if it is.
What is more comment-worthy is the manner and method behind his achievement, the type of bowler he has become.
When he arrived as that coltish teenager in South Africa, Cummins was an old-fashioned tearaway: very fast, a gambler, slightly erratic. A bowler with a hammer looking for a nail. Jeff Thomson, whose wicket tally Cummins equalled this week, was the model for this extreme paceman. It didn’t matter if Thommo bowled a bit of rubbish, the diamonds were worth the rocks.
It turned out that the erratic element inside Cummins was his back, which took those next six years to align and mature. As horse trainers know, sometimes you need to send a talented juvenile male away while they grow into their bodies. Often it helps to geld them. Not that this was advised or performed in Cummins’s case, but when he came back he was neither wild nor raw. He was Kingston Town after the snip.
Day three match report: Cummins joins 200 club as Australia press for victory
By Malcolm Conn
Milestone man Pat Cummins has the task of deciding how long Australia must bat on Saturday before declaring to press for victory in first Test after ignoring the follow-on against the West Indies at Perth Stadium.
The Australians bowled the West Indies out for 283 late on Friday in reply to Australia’s 4-598 declared. At stumps on day three Australia were 1-29 in their second innings, an overall lead of 344 with two days to play.
Pat Cummins took his 200th Test wicket on Friday.Credit:AP
Perth is the location for the most successful run chase in Australia, when South Africa made 4-414 at the WACA Ground in 2008, just across the river from Perth Stadium.
Cummins must find the balance between ensuring he has enough runs and allowing enough time to take ten wickets on a pitch he hopes will begin to crack and play tricks.
With five Tests inside seven weeks and then tours of India and England and a 50-over World Cup in India next year, preserving the fast bowlers is a high priority.
Given that just four wickets fell on the first two days, Australia did well to claim all ten West Indian wickets on Friday.
‘I probably scared a lot of people yesterday’: Ponting speaks after hospital visit
Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was taken to hospital yesterday after feeling dizzy. Ponting is back in the commentary box for Channel Seven and addressed the situation to begin the network’s coverage on day four.
”I probably scared a lot of people yesterday and had a little scary moment for myself,” Ponting said. “I was sitting in the comms box halfway through the stint and then got a couple of really short, sharp pains to my chest. I tried to stretch it out and get rid of it, and probably didn’t want to give too much away when I was on air.
“I had a couple of those incidents, got through the stint and went to walk to the back of the commentary box and got a bit lightheaded and dizzy and grabbed the bench. I mentioned to JL [Justin Langer] on the way out, who was commentating with me, that I had had these pains in my chest and Chris Jones heard me as well and just reacted straight away and got me out of there.
“10 or 15 minutes later, I was in the hospital getting the best treatment that I possibly could.
“I feel great this morning, I am all shiny and new this morning.”
Video wrap with Collo and Bretto
How does this Test play out from here?
Welcome back to the cricket
By Tom Decent
Hello cricket fans,
Welcome back to our live coverage of the first match of the summer.
It’s Tom Decent here in the Coogee bureau. The sun is out and what a day we have in store as Australia look to ram home their advantage against the West Indies at Optus Stadium.
David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne will look to up the tempo with an eye on a declaration at some stage.
That’s unless the Windies totally tear through Australia’s top order.
Play begins at 1.20pm AEDT.
David Warner bats on day three.Credit:AP
