Pat Cummins and The Art of Making Things Happen

In Josh Hazlewood, Australia has accuracy. In Mitchell Starc, the attack has unyielding pace and a bowler who cleans up the tail for fun. Combining both and adding the ability to maintain nagging lengths and angles, Pat Cummins is the man who can take wickets out of nowhere. Last time India toured Australia, his worth as a breakthrough bowler came into play. He constantly came in and broke partnerships out of nowhere with unbeatable deliveries. Against England at Melbourne too, Pat Cummins started the innings with one of the best spells in recent times, cutting the batters in half regularly.

His 200th wicket came the same way as he normally takes wickets. Kraig Brathwaite was persistent in defense. His mental strength was incredible as Brathwaite kept blocking bowlers out with an indefatigable front-foot defense. Pat Cummins came in wide of the crease with the ball wobbling off a wobbling seam. The same technique is what has kept Joe Root away from a century in Australia throughout his career. The same wobbling seam at an angle to hit the top of off stump.

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His journey to 200 has not been easy. After making his debut a decade ago, Pat Cummins missed out on Test Cricket for six years. A back condition did not allow him to get back into the long form of the game, until the 2017 Ranchi Test. After getting into the line-up again, Pat Cummins did not look back. A promising performance in Ranchi, which extracted a lot out of him, and a strong Ashes performance saw him rise up the ranks. Now, after a career threatening gap, Pat Cummins is the leader of the Test side, while he also has 200 wickets to his name.

With his 200th wicket, Australia achieved an interesting feat. They became the first specialist quartet to play together in the same Test with 200 wickets each. The achievement was long coming, but the quartet did not have the fortune of playing together consistently.

With Josh Hazlewood injured after the first Ashes Test, the quartet broke. Hazlewood was then left out of all but one Test in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The quartet are now back together at home. They came back in full sync. Mitchell Starc was at his best with his inswinging yorkers. Josh Hazlewood came in with his nagging lines and accuracy, while Nathan Lyon cleaned the West Indies up on a wearing track. Pat Cummins produced some specials in the first innings, before getting injured, leaving him off the field for a good part of the second innings.

He has reached the 200-wicket mark and is growing as he continues to produce magical deliveries. He walked off with an injury in the second Test though and is now racing against time to be fit for Adelaide. While his availability for the next Test looks challenging, Pat Cummins certainly has a lot more magical wickets ahead, as he contributes against the run of play.