{ "id": "126762", "author": "26", "cnmid": null, "title": "Australia Captain Pat Cummins Falls Short Of Ashes Ambition", "lang": "en", "series": "555", "cup_year": "2023", "article_type": "General", "excerpt": "When rain kept Australia holed up in The Oval changing rooms for more than two hours, Australia captain Pat Cummins might have thought his side were on their way to a long-awaited Ashes series win in England.", "subtype": null, "editor1": "

When rain kept Australia holed up in The Oval changing rooms for more than two hours, Australia captain Pat Cummins might have thought his side were on their way to a long-awaited Ashes series win in England.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Australia were well-placed at 264-3 after play resumed in pursuit of a mammoth victory target of 384 on Monday's final day of the fifth Test.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Even had they come away with a draw, that would still have been enough for a 2-1 series success and a first Ashes campaign triumph in England since 2001.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

But instead Australia lost seven wickets for 70 runs in a dramatic collapse as England won by 49 runs to end the series all square at 2-2 -- the same overall result as the 2019 Ashes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

This was an unusual trip, starting for Australia with a 209-run rout of India in last month's World Test Championship final on the same London ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

But with the WTC in its infancy, Cummins was aware the tour would be judged on the outcome of the Ashes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

- 'Legacy-defining' -<\/p>\r\n\r\n

"Whether we like it or not, Ashes series tend to define eras and teams," he said after the final. "If we win, that is legacy-defining stuff."<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Yet in an Ashes in which Cummins's tactics were called into question, it was Australia's batting failures that ultimately cost them a series win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

And Nathan Lyon's absence for the final three Tests following the veteran off-spinner's tour-ending calf injury at Lord's also deprived Cummins of much-needed control in the field.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

As a fast bowler, a rarity among captains, a schedule of six Tests in just under eight weeks would have been physically and mentally gruelling enough for Cummins without the additional responsibilities of leadership.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Nevertheless, the 30-year-old remained an ever-present and took 18 wickets at 37.72 during the Ashes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

So much of the series was framed as a contest between England's aggressive 'Bazball' approach and Australia's more traditional Test style, exemplified by painstaking opener Usman Khawaja becoming the leading batsman in the series, with 496 runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

England seamer Ollie Robinson proclaimed Australia were unwilling "to go toe-to-toe with us".<\/p>\r\n\r\n

But cricket, unlike ice skating, does not confer additional points for artistic impression.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

In a dramatic first Test at Edgbaston, it was Cummins's composure as a lower-order batsman that took Australia to a thrilling two-wicket win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The flashpoint of the series followed at Lord's, where the skipper was criticised for ignoring the "Spirit of Cricket" when quick-thinking Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow, who wrongly thought the ball was dead.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

What got lost in the ensuing furore was that England had been set a stiff 371 runs to win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Despite home captain Ben Stokes's stunning 155, Australia still won by 43 runs after Cummins had lured several batsmen to their doom with a hooking trap.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

England had the better of a rain-marred draw at Old Trafford, with Cummins often veering between all-out attack or defence, with little in between during a run-spree.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Former Australia batsman Mark Waugh, whose twin brother Steve was the last Aussie skipper to enjoy an Ashes series win in England, 22 years ago, suggested the "burnt-out" Cummins's time as captain was nearing its end.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

"I think he's OK when it's easy and he doesn't have to think too much, but it's a real question mark," said Waugh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

And Ian Chappell, one of Australia's most venerated captains, told Channel Nine: "If you put nine on the boundary that's really not designed to get people out -- not good batsmen out anyhow.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

"Some of his tactics in this series I would question."<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Also Read: <\/b> Major League Cricket 2023 Schedule, Teams And Squads<\/a><\/p>

But Chappell, for all his concerns, said: "I think Pat Cummins was the right choice at the time and I haven't seen a reason to promote another captain."<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Pat-Cummins.jpg", "alt_img": "Ashes 2023", "alt_title": "Pat Cummins ", "image1": null, "video": null, "seo_title": "Australia Captain Pat Cummins Falls Short Of Ashes Ambition On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "When rain kept Australia holed up in The Oval changing rooms for more than two hours, Australia captain Pat Cummins might have thought his side were on their way to a long-awaited Ashes series win in England.", "seo_keywords": "Pat Cummins, Ashes 2023", "tag": null, "tagging": "Pat Cummins,Ashes 2023,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": null, "slug": "australia-captain-pat-cummins-falls-short-of-ashes-ambition", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "1", "ians_date": null, "ians_time": null, "server_time": null, "trash": "0", "view_count": "1511", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2023-08-01 08:48:07", "updated": "2023-08-01 08:48:07", "img_from": "Image Source: Google", "img_source": null, "schedule_publish": null, "news_keywords": "Ashes 2023, Pat Cummins ", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "1", "jio_date": "2023-08-01 08:48:07", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "1", "google_date": null, "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": "Select", "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/australia-captain-pat-cummins-falls-short-of-ashes-ambition-126762" }