a day ago
Australia v South Africa, World Test Championship final Day 3: Live scores, updates from Lord's
When Pat Cummins looked as though he may never add to his one and only Test, he never could have imagined his injury plagued body would carry him to 300 wickets.
Now Australia is relying on its fearless leader to reprise the same final day matchwinning wizardry he produced on that unforgettable man-of-the-match debut against South Africa back in 2011 to deliver the glory they crave against the same opposition at Lord's.
Cummins was informed rather awkwardly at his pre-match press conference that England great James Anderson had rated South African spearhead Kagiso Rabada the superior bowler – but the Australian skipper let his arm do the talking with a stunning six-wicket blitz of the Proteas which put his name on the Lord's honour board for the first time.
Only Rabada, Waqar Younis, Dale Steyn and Allan Donald have taken fewer balls to eclipse the 300-wicket barrier Cummins admits means so much to him after he went to hell and back to bounce back from an injury nightmare that forced him to wait six years to play his second Test.
Cummins knows he and his fellow quicks will need to be near perfect again to defend a nerve-rackingly low score to win Australia the World Test Championship on what shapes as the third and final day, but he took a moment to reflect on the journey he has taken to arrive at this point.
'It's really cool knowing there's not too many on that list,' Cummins said.
'I think as a fast bowler as well, 300 is something I always thought about as a pretty good sign of durability and resilience and longevity so I feel pretty proud to join that group.'
Cummins believes at age 32, he still has plenty more to offer beyond 300 and paid tribute to the Cricket Australia medicos who invested so much into plotting his long-term future.
'I think so. I've had a really good run the last half a dozen years or so, not missing too many games,' Cummins said.
'For the first few years I didn't know where my second Test match was coming.
'So I still feel like I've got lots of miles in the legs.
'Gaz (Nathan Lyon) is up past 500. Starcy (Mitchell Starc) is almost 400.
'Hopefully, I don't feel like I'm going to end any time soon.
'Again, the medical staff, I really need to thank the way they looked after me in the early years and continually to (help me) get through a Test match.
'The way they managed the fast bowlers I think a lot of that is a nod to them as well.'
