In the space of a brilliant six-over spell against India yesterday, young Australian quick Pat Cummins showed why the selectors rushed him into the Test team.
On a benign surface which offered nothing to the fast bowlers, Cummins used his underrated cunning to work over India’s most in-form batsman KL Rahul, who was threatening to canter to a big ton.
Analysis of the 23-year-old fast bowler tends to focus heavily on his unsettling pace and bounce, often overlooking Cummins’ impressive cricketing brain.
The manner in which he kept the Indian batsmen guessing during that six-over burst was as clever as anything I’ve seen from a Test paceman in recent years.
Cummins swiftly summed up the conditions. He recognised that simply bowling flat out and looking to burst through the batsman’s defence was not likely to bear fruit on this sleepy surface.
So he made his sharpest deliveries more surprising and therefore threatening by varying his pace and ball release. Using tactics ripped from T20, the format in which Cummins has the most experience, he employed a befuddling array of variations.
In between searing deliveries in the 145-to-148kmh range, he sent down off cutters, leg cutters, cross seamers, dipping, floating changeups, and slower-ball bouncers.
Rahul was patently unsettled by Cummins’ approach. When Cummins started that spell Rahul was flying along on 52 from 71 balls, and the opening stand was getting away from Australia.
Rahul was stopped dead in his tracks by Cummins’ trickery, scoring only 3 from 17 balls against him in this spell before falling victim to the young quick. In the end it was variation which undid Rahul, with Cummins rolling his fingers across a short ball which reared up at the Indian strokemaker, kissed his glove and lobbed to keeper Matt Wade.
It was just reward for Cummins who was the pick of the Australian bowlers. The wicket of Rahul was incredibly important on a surface which looks likely to break up on days four and five but right now is brimming with runs.
It should have come as little surprise that Cummins bowled so well, for his expansive talent has never been in doubt.
The questions, always, centre around his durability. There were encouraging signs in the way he powered through that long spell. At no point did Cummins look tired or straining for extra pace. His final delivery of that spell scorched through at 145kmh.
Any discussion about Cummins is littered with ‘ifs’. His immensely intelligent and skilful display yesterday underlined that, if he can stay healthy, he will quickly become a quality Test bowler. Australia will desperately need him to bowl just as well again for the remainder of this Test as they face a stern challenge to force a positive result.
At 1-120 India are well placed to match or surpass Australia’s good first innings total of 451. The hosts will draw confidence from the fact that, in their recent home series against England, they twice secured innings victories despite England making solid first innings totals.
In the fifth Test of that series, England made 477 batting first only for the hosts to pile up 7-759 and turn the match on its head. They will plan to do just that again here in Ranchi.
There are, however, two clear differences between that situation and this one.
Firstly, Australia’s bowling attack has showed in this series that it is far more threatening than England’s proved to be in India. Secondly, India’s fifth Test batting heroics against England came in the deadest of dead rubbers against a side whose spirit was broken.
Here, by comparison, India need to make 500-plus under immense pressure – they know that a poor batting effort could hand the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to Australia.
Jon Price
Guest
We may see the fastest attack in Test history next summer if Starc, Hazlewood , Pattinson and Cummins are all fit. Whenever the West Indies attack of the 80s were timed they didn't have the collective speed of this lot. I'm not sure they all exceeded 140 kph at the same time. Pakistan might have been closer in the era of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohamed Akram, Mohamed Zahid and Shoaib Akhtar.
Jon Price
Guest
Good analysis, Ronan. Enjoyed reading your article.
Mitcher
Guest
Honestly, cummins follow up spell answered this tripe well and good. But I'm still just stunned that anyone who know a skerrick about cricket that blind themselves to the reason why this guy is held in such high esteem. Just amazing.
Tana Mir
Roar Rookie
What have you been watching!!
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Discarding test figures to provide a fair comparison, the first class averages are - Pattinson 22.23 Behrendorff 22.87 Sayers 23.62 Hazlewood 24.12 Starc 25.91 Cummins 28.25
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Just as impressive today too. Exciting times for our fast bowling ranks with Pattinson destroying QLD at AB Field also.
13th man
Guest
I think that India are favorites. This pitch reminds me a lot of the ones in the English series. In the 4th test England made 450 in the first dig before India came out and blasted 700 with Nair scoring a triple century. Then the pitch deteriorated and England, although having batted well in the first dig, ended up having to bat on day 5 to save a test and lost by an innings. Granted, we are a far better side than England but we need to bowl bloody well today to avoid a similar sort of result.
James Jackson
Guest
Neither are favourites yet
Jameswm
Guest
India favourites? They have to bat last
Basil
Guest
I felt the same when SOK took 12 in the first Test.
Basil
Guest
Pretty sure on stats that Sayers is in very much in the top 5 .... Oh wait, he's South Australian.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Because the wicket looks to be a batting road, Kohli is due a big score and there is long way to go in this game.
A joke
Guest
Cummins did okay, but he is no Starc. He took a wicket, not worth discussing. Crash through the Indians then get back to us. Mind you this one wicket ensures another six year contract. Good to be a 'chosen one'.
Andrew Young
Roar Guru
Very smart bowling; making the most out of what you've got to work with. impressive from Cummins.
Art Vanderlay
Guest
I agree with this but TBF he was shafted badly by Victoria leaving him out of the first Shield round so it would have been difficult for the Test selectors to pick him from grade.
Rob
Guest
I wasn't this proud of a batsmen innings since Agar's 99 against England. For Australia to pick a succession of vastly inferior batsmen in the number 6 position before giving Maxwell a real opportunity is mind blowing. This is first bat at 6 and 3 years since his debut. During the World Cup in 2015 he out shone Warner and Smith in home conditions with the bat. After Australia was humiliated in the Test in Sri Lanka he was flown in and belted the Sri Lankan bowling attack for a World Record 145. Then they pick Ferguson, Mitch Marsh and Madison?
Nudge
Guest
How is it not in reach now? While I'd admit India are favourites from here, Australia are a long way from being out of it
Tana Mir
Roar Rookie
I've been waiting for Maxi to get a fair go for a while, and in his 4th Test he scores a gem that could win us a series in India. I stood up and applauded his immaculate 100 were he outscored the best batsman in the world, and fought back tears not because I'm a die hard fan, but because this bloke has been mistreated at so many fronts, and it's a know fact that he is a wonderful bloke.
Worlds Biggest
Guest
Is there any chance any of the Cricketing scribes on here can not mention ' retention of trophy ' until it actually could be Within reach. India have responded very well on a good batting wicket.
Sideline
Guest
Yeah definitely. When the pitch starts to offer variation his nagging persistence can be very dangerous.