Pat Cummins. (Photo Source: BCCI)
The Ashes 2023 has brought both joy and sorrow to Australia and England, winning the first two Tests, Australia got off to a magnificent start to the Test series. However, after the first two games, the hosts made a surreal comeback and won the third Test. Furthermore, England looked to be heading towards a win in the fourth Test as well, but as rain played spoilsport, the game was drawn and the Aussies retained the urn.
With the fifth Test right around the corner, it is safe to say that Australia have had quite a fine run in Test cricket recently. Firstly, the side won the final of the World Test Championship against India and then followed it up by retaining the Ashes. However, despite the success, skipper Pat Cummins was of the opinion that there is still a lot left to learn for him as captain.
Getting lucky in the fourth Ashes Test, skipper Pat Cummins came forward to give his take on his captaincy and opined that there is still a lot left to learn for the star pacer. He also opined that the team environment in Manchester was not as calm as it was supposed to be.
“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, 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. Learnt a lot of lessons from the last game,” Pat Cummins was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Our aim is to come here and win the Ashes: Cummins
Furthermore, Cummins also reflected on the fact that despite England’s emphatic display of ‘Bazball’ cricket, their attacking approach did not destabilize Australia’s game plan. Cummins opined that the entire squad is looking to cap off the series and win the urn after clinching the final Ashes Test.
“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,” Cummins said.