In front of just over 57,000 at the MCG, Australia’s captain returned from a Covid-enforced absence to slice through England’s hopes on Boxing Day
ou could easily arrive at the conclusion that Patrick Cummins had been blessed by some benevolent god. The best-on-ground performance in the teenage Test debut, the personal qualities that made people speak of him as a future captain, the rise to that position despite a century and more of entrenched Australian opposition to bowlers taking the job.
On his return on the first morning of the Boxing Day Test, Cummins looked every bit the better for his break. He stood by while Joe Root called the coin incorrectly, chose to bowl first on a cool cloudy morning that had just seen its last shower of rain, and immediately, immaculately locked onto an off-stump line with enough seam movement to threaten. Like any good mob boss, Cummins doesn’t make threats that he isn’t prepared to carry out.
In that first session, Australia’s other bowlers had been manageable. Mitchell Starc looked for swing, found none, and wandered down the leg side, taken off after three overs. Scott Boland on debut was accurate and serviceable, while Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon both had a bowl without much effect. Had the attack been rounded out by someone other than Cummins, England might have got through.
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