Australia’s victory in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham was marked by Pat Cummins’s spectacular all-round performance. The Australian skipper’s unbeaten 44 in the second innings proved vital to the two-wicket victory, but it was his efforts with the bat in the first innings that really impressed former wicketkeeper Ian Healy. Despite a collapse, Cummins made an important contribution, scoring 38 runs with three crucial sixes.
Healy credited England’s aggressive response to Cummins’s batting for inspiring him to deliver his best. I think England annoyed him, said Healy, they talked to him when they bowled to him in the first innings. They attacked him very aggressively and he thought – ‘I am going to stay in here, I am getting a hang of this’. They got him going I reckon with the bat.
Cummins, regarded by Healy as a contender for the Man of the Match award, put in an impressive performance with the ball as well. Despite going wicketless in England’s first innings, he returned figures of 4/63 in their second essay, which helped secure the win for Australia.
Ian Healy described Cummins’ display as one of the great captains’ performances in a Test match. Usman Khawaja’s performance earned him the Man of the Match award for his contribution of 141 and 65 runs respectively in the two innings of the Edgbaston Test, but Cummins received high praise for his all-round contribution.
Healy also noted that Cummins’s free swing of the bat during the innings shows that he has been working on his batting, which has been found wanting in recent years. Cummins will no doubt be riding high on confidence after his performance in the first Ashes Test as Australia looks to maintain their winning momentum.
