Some days fast bowling is the cricket version of porn. Like when Mitchell Stark took Britain’s top order at the MCG last summer and kicked him out of the race.One day, fast bowling can be the cricket version of an action-packed superhero movie. As usual, it looks like Scott Vorland came running in with the ball in a friendly.
But there are those rare but special days when fast bowling is the pure art of cricket. Like SCG on Saturday (January 7th) when Pat Cummins was working as an artist. Nor was it the kind of canvas you would associate with a high-speed bowling art show. Here there was no green cast on the surface. It wasn’t gabba. Instead, this was a pitch designed to allow the weirdo to hit his stride with his SCG. But that didn’t stop Pat Cummins from performing his magic. The genius of Pat Cummins didn’t stop it either. It was a six over burst that displayed not only world-class bowler skill and talent, but also a world-class execution of bowler skill and talent at the pinnacle of his game, and without resorting to magical delivery. It was also a master his class on how to set up a batter. Instead, let them make mistakes by convincing them it’s coming. Cummins returned to the game in South Africa’s 45th over of the innings. By then Kaya his Zondo had found his own rhythm and way against Josh his Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon. When Cummins launched his ninth delivery, he was actually handling over 60 of his deliveries. Kyle Verain, South Africa’s top batter in the series by far, had begun to keep an eye on it meanwhile.
Cummins was aware of the backward momentum Hazelwood created with the aging Kookaburra. It took two deliveries to almost make the most of it, as Verreynne blocked a fuller one and ominously headed to his pad. Cummins being in the zone and having him on the job was an early warning call to hitters.
Then it was Zondo’s turn to take on the challenge. In the case of Zond, who has a more pronounced forefoot kick than the South African wicket-keeper, Cummins began to mix it up. A sharply formed pair and a slightly wider and straighter pair. And when Cummins returned to the top of the mark in the third over, Zond was already in a mess. Cummins then decided to keep his right-handed heart rocking. A short leg and a leg spin came in and the borderline rider went out into the deep back square. Then Cummins turned his turnstile. The first ball was a bouncer, which Zond nervously parried, with a strange angle accentuating his already open stance. And then came the day’s delivery, perhaps the game, perhaps Summer… For once, the perfect Yorker who couldn’t bat Zondo.
It was an angle that lbw was difficult to take. Cummins had one spot to hit on the field. One way he could get the ball rolling. And he did. Because that’s exactly what Pat Cummins does.
Poor Marco Jansen was next. As expected, the big right-hander’s attack style was short and aimed at the body. He looked just as bad technically as he did in Melbourne. And he could go as easily as Zondo on the next ball. We have further emphasized that it is worthy of attention. Nor was there rest on the other side. After all, there are no good cops in the Australian bowling attack. The questioning never ends. Nathan Lyon also spins the web, enjoying the chaos Cummins is bringing to the mindset of hitters. And Verreynne almost caught a clumsy shot in the ditch that he couldn’t control.
Opposing Jansen wanted to stay on the other side. He wasn’t keen on playing against Cummins. You couldn’t blame him either. The impact Cummins had on the towering all-rounder had an effect on the other side, especially when Jansen awkwardly slung his arm over his shoulder and didn’t take a big stride for the off-break. He was lucky to survive.
His legs were like jelly when Verreynne struck the Australian captain again. His head was cheap. Cummins could only think of putting his racket down at the perfect time so that the wicket-keeper’s focus was on the ball being driven into the stump, so he moved it to prevent it from hitting the pad or falling into the stump. So, after an unexpected angle change, Cummins got up over the turnstile and duly got one. The ball was carried slightly further from the crease, amplifying the natural angle to the right-hander a bit more. This meant that he only had to get up when the ball was pitched. But it was Cummins, so it did a little more. Verreynne’s legs and heart were still trying to protect the stump. All he could do was nudge the delivery and stick it into Steve Smith, who slipped away. It was the final stroke of Cummins genius. Artwork that lands on the mantelpiece of an artist already inducted into the Hall of Fame.