Australia skipper Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon displayed their bowling power on day two of the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, putting Australia in a commanding position against Pakistan.
At stumps, Pakistan found themselves in a precarious situation at 194-6, trailing Australia by 124 runs. Mohammad Rizwan, standing tall with 29 runs, and Aamer Jamal, not out on two, faced an uphill battle to stabilize their team’s innings.
The turning point in the match came when Pat Cummins, the Australian pace spearhead, delivered what he described as a “dream ball” to dismiss the dangerous Babar Azam for just one run. In the post-match presser, Cummins shared insights into his strategy.
“It’s a dream ball – that’s what you try and bowl most balls, but it’s rare that it comes off. Really happy with that one,” Cummins said.
“That wasn’t a deliberate ball to seam in. That’s 50-50, whether it’s going to seam in or out. I try and create a bit of an angle, and if I don’t know what it’s doing, hopefully the batter doesn’t know either. Swing is a bit more predictable – the batter sees it a bit earlier and the margins are a bit smaller. I try and swing the odd one but it’s rare – most of the time, I’m trying to get a bit of seam off the wicket,” he added.
Cummins continued to make significant contributions with the ball, also claiming the key wicket of Abdullah Shafique, who had earlier scored a resilient 62 runs for Pakistan. Agha Salman, contributing just five runs, was the third wicket to fall to Cummins, leaving Pakistan in a precarious position.
The Australian bowling attack, led by Cummins and supported by Lyon, exploited the conditions at the MCG to create challenges for the Pakistani batsmen.
