Where MCG thriller sits in top five Test wins of the Cummins era

Where MCG thriller sits in top five Test wins of the Cummins era
By Daniel Brettig
Updated

The Boxing Day Test triumph is the best win of the Pat Cummins’ era, but there’s been other magical moments.

Chief cricket writer Daniel Brettig looks at the top five Test victories of Cummins’ captaincy.

Sam Konstas and Pat Cummins of Australia celebrate victory.Credit: Getty

1) Melbourne 2024

Needs little introduction given its freshness in the memory, but some historical context is useful. Australia had won only one red ball Test at home against India since 2014, and were facing an Indian side inspired by an all-time series from Jasprit Bumrah. The selectors, faced with the Bumrah problem, gambled on 19-year-old Sam Konstas to change things up at the top of the order and were richly rewarded on day one. India fought back hard through Nishant Kumar Reddy’s century, before a Bumrah burst threatened to break the game open. But Cummins epitomised his side’s persistence with runs and wickets, and on the final day the Indians cracked in the final session. All of this watched by an Australian record Test match crowd. Little wonder Cummins said it was his best.

What Cummins said: “Everyone as we were walking off was trying to work out where it sits. They reckon that’s right at the top. Edgbaston [in 2023] was pretty special, and I reckon that’s pretty much on par. That was amazing. When you take all that into account, it’s probably the best Test match I’ve been involved in, in terms of 80-odd thousand people [in attendance] on the first three days. It felt like [it] swung a lot too. Just one of those great wins.”

2) Edgbaston 2023

Cummins celebrates after hitting the winning runs at Edgbaston.Credit: Getty

Australia’s first encounter with Bazball was stirring stuff. Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald sought to absorb England’s aggression and take the game deep, something they were aided in doing by a supreme two-innings contribution by Usman Khawaja and some sterling spells from Nathan Lyon. But the game was still very much in England’s keeping when Cummins walked out to bat on the final evening. His bold decision to go for the win was made possible by Lyon’s lower order help, setting off raucous scenes among Australian supporters in Birmingham. For Cummins this was cathartic – sharing a tearful embrace with his father Peter after his first Test since the death of his mother, Maria.

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What Cummins said: “I think both teams spoke a lot about playing your own style before the game. And I think it’s just one of the beauties of this series. Totally contrasting styles. I think we both play to our strengths. And you don’t necessarily know which style is better, but that makes for good entertainment.”

3) Lahore 2022

Not so much a five-day victory as a 15-day triumph. In the first series after Justin Langer’s resignation as coach and in Australia’s first visit to Pakistan since 1998, Cummins recognised the right moments to attack. In the first innings this was with devilish reverse swing, in the second a combination of speed and the spin of Lyon. Since then, Pakistan’s flakiness has allowed numerous overseas teams to win on their home soil. But for Australia to even travel to Pakistan, to win, and to do it with so much presence of mind to outlast the hosts, was a significant marker for what was to come.

Australia celebrate their 2022 series victory in Pakistan.Credit: AP

What Cummins said: “We knew we’d bide our time and the way we applied ourselves today … everyone was up for it. The really great thing about this squad is we played really well in the Ashes and we’ve proven each individual’s game can be transferred to anywhere in the world. Really happy with everyone. We didn’t really know what to expect coming over here, but it’s been an amazing experience for our whole group.”

4) Indore 2023

This was Australia’s win for Cummins while playing without him. Steve Smith took the reins and Lyon put on arguably the finest display of his career to outbowl Ashwin and Jadeja on a pitch and at a ground literally made to order for India – the match had been moved from pace friendlier Dharamasala. The surface was treacherous, but there were numerous key contributors: Matt Kuhnemann’s left-arm spin, runs for Usman Khawaja and Travis Head, and Smith’s stupendous catch at leg slip to get rid of Cheteshwar Pujara. Secured qualification for the 2023 Test championship final.

Nathan Lyon holds up the ball after he took eight wickets in the second innings during day two of the third Test match in the series between India and Australia in Indore, India.Credit: Getty Images

What Smith said: “For the guys to be able to regroup, trust themselves with what they are trying to do and just try to do it for longer, it’s something we’ve spoken about, and the way we did it this week was really pleasing. It’s about taking the result out of play, having faith in our methods for long enough. We are good enough players to get the results we are after more often than not.”

5) Christchurch 2024

New Zealand’s seam bowlers, particularly Matt Henry, provided a huge challenge for an Australian team that had staggered somewhat through the home summer after the 2023 ODI World Cup win. Cameron Green had set up a big win in Wellington, but this time the tourists had to come from behind through the brute force of Mitchell Marsh and the revived confidence of Alex Carey. Two of the more popular members of the team duly conjured a rousing chase of 279, from 4-34 then 5-80, points at which the Black Caps had been hot favourites to square the series.

What Cummins said: “At times I don’t think we’ve played our best cricket and still found a way to win. In a couple of previous summers we’ve blown teams out of the water. This summer wasn’t the case, but at the key moment someone stood up.”

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