After Australia leads the Ashes tournament 2-1 after the fourth Test concluded in a draw, Australian skipper Pat Cummins opens on retaining the Ashes trophy and says “probably wasn’t our best day”.
Pat Cummins on retaining Ashes Trophy
The World Test Championship winners Australia have retained the Ashes trophy following a rainy day on the final day at Old Trafford in Manchester. Pat Cummins the Australian player said he still had a lot to learn left for him as captain.
The Australians were keen on England’s plan to hold on to the tournament with their attacking play. Cummins believed that he was not able to lead the team with quite the environment he wished for.
“Something we speak a lot of as a group is a calm environment. It’s off the field but on the field as well. Probably wasn’t our best day in terms of that. And that’s my fault. It’s no one else’s. It’s tough”.
You’re out there, the wicket’s a flat wicket, the batters are batting well, and it’s played at a different pace to pretty much any Test cricket before.
You’ve seen similar on the flip side as well with them, having nine fielders out, the whole dynamics is different. It’s good. I love the problem-solving aspect of it. Learned a lot of lessons from the last game.
“I think it (captaincy)does have a shelf life. I won’t put a date on it, I’ve got to get there first. I feel like every test match I learn quite a bit, you just get exposed to more things with each game.
I love working with this team and the staff. Enjoying it at the moment, we’ll see what the future holds. Feel like with each game, getting better, and I think there’s a fair bit more left in me.
“I don’t think it’s shifted too much over the series, to be honest,” he said. “Think Edgbaston, again that was another moment there wasn’t a lot in it for the bowlers. They scored 400 on day one and I don’t see it as too dissimilar to last week.
Think you’ve got to hold your never a little bit sometimes, you’ve got to trust that’s your best percentage to get nicks even if they hit a few cover drives.”
England had scored 592 runs in their first innings in Manchester, but Cummins believes that England’s batting will not have much impact on Australia’s plans for Ashes 2023. England has improved after their defeat in the first Test in the first margin.
“If we win this one and you look back, it’s been an incredible tour over here really. We’ve played five games, we’ve won three and only lost one. It’s already a fantastic tour. But to go home, winning the urn will be phenomenal.
It’s a final thing to tick off the list of titles to win for a few of the guys, who again you never know if they’ll get another chance to do it. So, we’ve said the whole time, our aim is to come here and win the Ashes and that’s the opportunity ahead of us.”
Pat Cummins said Mitchell Starc’s injury is far from good, but he was expected to bowl on the fifth test.
“Yeah, he’s got something going on there. But he’s come out and bowled. We weren’t really sure about it. Yeah, he’s got a history with it right now. At the MCG (when he’d injured his finger), didn’t think he was going to bowl and he came out and his seam position was perfect.
It probably helps his bowling. We expect him to be right as well. He didn’t do much today but will give it another look tomorrow.
“I think he might only be the second-most capped Aussie bowler and you don’t do that without being extremely tough. Especially the way he bowls, 150 kmps. I reckon his pain threshold is high as I’ve ever seen.
And his resilience, not only through injuries but everything he goes through. He’s someone who loves playing and you know he’s desperate to be on the team sheet each week, which as a captain I absolutely love.”
The final test of the Ashes 2023 will be played from July 27 – 31 at Kennington Oval, London.
