Australian captain Pat Cummins has lifted the curtain on the tactics that led to the dismissal of Pakistan’s top-ranked batter, Babar Azam, during the Melbourne Test. Cummins, in the post-match press conference, shared insights into the delivery that he referred to as a ‘dream ball.’
Describing the ball, Cummins said, “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.” He explained that it wasn’t a deliberate attempt to seam the ball in, giving it a 50-50 chance of moving in or out. Cummins aims to create an angle and maintain uncertainty for the batsman.
Cummins highlighted the challenges of swinging the ball, noting that it provides batters with an early view, making it more predictable. He occasionally tries to swing the ball but primarily focuses on achieving seam movement off the pitch, where the margins for error are smaller.
At the end of day two in the Melbourne Test, Pakistan faced a challenging situation with a score of 194-6, trailing Australia by 124 runs. Mohammad Rizwan held steady with 29 runs, while Aamer Jamal remained unbeaten on two, tasked with stabilizing their team’s innings.
For Babar Azam, 2023 has been a challenging year, especially in red-ball cricket. The Melbourne Test marked his eighth consecutive innings without scoring a Test fifty in 2023, marking the first time in his career that he has not achieved a half-century in a calendar year.
Despite Pakistan winning a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in July 2023, Babar’s struggle with the bat continued. In the ongoing Australia tour, he faced further challenges, scoring 21 and 14 runs in the first Test. As the year concludes, Babar has one more opportunity to make a significant contribution to his red-ball performance in 2023.
