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Australian skipper Pat Cummins once again produced a calm, clutch knock under pressure situation during the second Test against New Zealand at Christchurch, continuing what has become a habit for him in recent months, in which he has shown some great evolution as a batter.
Entering Day 2, Australia required 202 runs for victory with six wickets remaining in their run-chase of 279 runs. After an early setback with the dismissal of Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey formed a formidable partnership, adding 140 runs to bring Australia closer to the target. Debutant Ben Sears made an impact by taking two quick wickets, leaving Australia 59 runs away from victory with three wickets in hand. It was at this critical juncture that Cummins stepped in to face the hat-trick ball, as per ICC. Cummins started with a four and held one end solid during his knock of 32*. While Carey had shouldered much of the batting responsibility on the fourth day, the Aussie pacer played the leading role in the unbeaten 62-run partnership for the eighth wicket, guiding Australia to a thrilling victory and hitting the winning boundary. While Cummins' accolades with the ball are too many and for everyone to see, he has also developed a knack for producing some mini, but impactful masterclasses with the bat. There have been three successful 250-plus chases for Australia since Cummins' debut (including today) and he has hit the winning boundary in all three of those. In a recent instance, Australia were in a similar scenario during the Ashes series opener against England at Edgbaston last year. With a target of 281, Cummins entered the fray at 209/7. The situation became more precarious as Australia slipped to 227/8, requiring 54 runs for victory. Forging a crucial stand with Nathan Lyon, Cummins struck four fours and two sixes in total, hitting the winning four back then as well, as he finished on 44* to lead Australia to victory. Cummins hitting the decisive boundary has become somewhat of a recurring theme, with instances dating back to 2011 against South Africa in Johannesburg. In that match, chasing 310, Cummins walked in to bat at 292/8 and scored a brisk 13* off 15 balls, smashing the winning runs to help Australia level the series 1-1. Throughout his career, Cummins has demonstrated more than just bowling prowess, showcasing his batting skills with a tally of 1295 runs in 62 Test matches at an average of 17.03. Notably, his batting average experiences a significant surge in the fourth innings, reaching an impressive 33.57, underscoring Cummins' remarkable ability to deliver clutch performances when Australia needs him the most. This average is higher than that of star players like Steve Smith (33.26), Usman Khawaja (29.78), Mitchell Marsh (19.17) and Marnus Labuschagne (29.77) Since assuming the role of captain for the Australian team in 2021, Pat Cummins has undergone a transformative phase in his career. Throughout 43 games across different formats, Cummins has steered his team to success in 29 matches, with only 9 losses. In this remarkable journey, he has elevated Australia to significant achievements, starting with the triumph in the World Test Championship in June 2023, followed by another milestone with the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup victory in November of the same year. (ANI)
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