'Trio Of Hazlewood, Cummins And Starc Better Than McGrath, Gillespie and Lee': Matthew Hayden Draws Major Comparison During WTC Final Between Australia, South Africa
"The trio of Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc might just be Australia's best-ever pace attack—even better than McGrath, Gillespie, and Lee—because they've bowled more together, in more combinations. Add Nathan Lyon to the mix, and it's an 'awesome foursome.' Australia did well to pull ahead despite pressure. South Africa fought back hard, making this a seesaw contest. It's been a fantastic Test match so far, and Day 3 promises more drama," said Hayden.
Clutch Performers
The trio wrecked havoc at iconic Lords Cricket Ground, bundling South Africa for 138 runs, already putting one hand on the trophy they claimed last year in 2023 defeating India. Considering their legacy, big match record and fourth innings pressure, a miracle is needed of Proteas if they need to end their long standing Trophy drought. Pat Cummins led from the front dominating the inning with a 6 wicket haul to his name. On the other hand Mitchell Starc once again rose up to the big occasion taking 2 wickets at the front. Josh Hazelwood took 1 wicket but was equally lethal, building the pressure which Africa succumbed under. Cummins' extraordinary spell of 6/41 helped him become the eighth Australian bowler to pick up 300 Test wickets.
Hayden also opined how the WTC final has been a bowlers dominated affair due to the extra swing provided at the venue with bowling conducive conditions.
'Looking at Day 2 performance, an equal number of wickets have fallen over the two days. Batters seem a bit rusty in terms of Test match batting. The lateral movement has made footwork difficult—they're getting hit on the pads, edging deliveries. Bowlers have dominated this match," Hayden said.
South Africa needs 282 runs to win the WTC final and break their jinx with ICC trophies. The Temba Bavuma led side would like to fancy their chances in believing that the batting order that helped them reach till here will help them sail over Australia in the WTC Final.
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The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Open and shut case: Jaiswal and Rahul making headway as a partnership at the top
When Yashasvi Jaiswal and K.L. Rahul opened the batting in the first Test against Australia in Perth last November, a stopgap arrangement for all of one game was what it seemed. With Rohit Sharma, then skipper, choosing to opt out of that Test to be present for the birth of his second child, India needed a temporary fix alongside the incumbent Jaiswal at the top of the order. There were two options heading into the game. There was Abhimanyu Easwaran, who had been picked in the squad as a reserve opener for precisely such a scenario. And then there was Rahul, who had just begun getting accustomed to the middle-order role in whites. The man from Karnataka had been a specialist opener for most of his career, but he had played his last six Tests in the middle order, and had even peeled off a sublime hundred against South Africa at Centurion at No. 6. As unjust as it was to Abhimanyu, the team management turned towards Rahul. 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Despite forging a good understanding with the young Jaiswal at the top of the order himself — their overall partnership tally of 1269 runs in 28 innings at 45.32 is the sixth-highest for India — the fact that his form had taken a beating in the previous few months probably meant it was in the team's best interests for him to slide to No. 6 and not disturb the first-wicket pair that had worked so well. He did just that for the next two Tests before getting back to opening alongside Jaiswal in the Melbourne Test in a last-ditch attempt at salvaging his form, but returns of 3 and 9 extinguished his hopes in what turned out to be his final Test appearance. With the fundamentals that Jaiswal and Rahul displayed on bowler-friendly pitches in Australia — playing on merit, offering due regard to the new ball and cashing in when the conditions were ripe — there was little doubt by the end of that series that this was an opening pair that could apply itself and combat England in England. And their returns over the past six weeks, admittedly on decks where the balance was conversely tilted towards the batters, have largely vindicated that belief. Across the five Tests in a thoroughly engrossing series that captured the imagination of the English public à la the Ashes two decades ago, they stitched together three fifty-plus stands and in the process allowed the likes of Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant to often get their eye in against a softer Dukes ball. With more than 400 runs each in the series, they pulled their weight individually too. The tone was set in the very first innings of the first Test at Headingley, when they saw off a smidgen of movement for the English pacers early on and added 91 runs for the opening wicket in India's total of 471. In view of the considerable trepidation at the start about the ability of a batting unit in the throes of a major transition without Rohit and Virat Kohli, this was exactly the sort of stress-busting beginning that the dressing room required. Their overall partnership numbers may not yet scream for attention: 624 runs in 18 innings at an average of 36.7. But after nine Tests in Australia and England, it is safe to assume that the challenges for Jaiswal and Rahul in the matches ahead will only get easier. Complementary traits Like most successful opening partnerships, there is a complementary set of attributes that the left-right duo brings to the table. Jaiswal relishes width outside off-stump. Rahul tends to leave deliveries in that channel all day long. The cut shot against pace is Jaiswal's bread and butter. Rahul's classical cover drive is as good as any in the modern game. 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- New Indian Express
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