Follow UsAustralia were dead and buried coming into the clash against Sri Lanka. They were thoroughly beaten across all facets of the game in their first two encounters - against India and South Africa.
23 overs into the clash against Sri Lanka, the story seemed to continue before Australian skipper Pat Cummins returned to start a comeback for the national side. Cummins insisted that the entire team, till that point, had spent so much of their energy into winning their first clash of this year’s ODI World Cup.
“I think after the first two losses, everyone in the team was really keen trying to make amends, you know, maybe even trying a bit too hard for the first 25 overs, like everyone in the field was diving around, plenty of kind of energy,” Cummins said in the pre-match press conference against Pakistan.
“I think it was pleasing to get the breakthrough, would have liked for it to come early, but once we got the breakthrough, it felt like then we got on a roll, which, yeah, which we earned. So, yeah, I wouldn't attribute too much credit to myself. It was everyone out there was awesome,” he had to add.
After playing at some slow tracks thus far in Chennai and Lucknow, Australia have headed over to Bangalore, a venue that has traditionally been batter-friendly. Cummins insisted that Australia are hoping for a high-scoring clash in Bangalore with the pitch being really good.
“Yeah, of course, really important. You know, especially at a venue like here in Bangalore, I dare say it's going to be high scoring, smaller field. Pitch is always really good here. So, yeah, batting is super important,” Cummins said.
Not just that, Cummins also spoke about the importance of Mitchell Marsh and David Warner taking the game head-on, something that helped them against Sri Lanka in the previous clash.
“I think the way the guys started last game really set the tone. You know, Mitchie and Davey up front from the first over taking the game on. That's what we want from our players. And, you know, they're working really hard. They're doing all the right things. I'm sure plenty of runs are around the corner.”
But up against Australia are a hurt Pakistani side, who India totally crushed in their World Cup encounter in Ahmedabad. Pakistan were well-placed in that contest before a batting collapse ensured that they didn’t get past the 200-run mark, leading to a simple run chase for India. Despite that, Cummins insisted that Pakistan are a well-structured side.
“It's quite a few (match winners), really. They're a side that always seems to be right up there. Pretty well structured, I think, across, you know, some really good quick bowlers who can do some damage, some spin bowlers that can bowl 20 of their overs plus,” Cummins said in praise of Pakistan.
“And then they've got, you know, I think Rizwan's the leading run scorer, Babar Azam's always good, a couple of other batters that have scored a lot in ODIs lately. So, they're a really strong side pretty much in all facets,” he added.
ODI cricket has been puzzling for several captains to deal with, and Cummins wasn’t any different. Famously before the clash against Sri Lanka, the all-rounder came out saying that he was perplexed about the approach in ODI cricket and added that the 50-over format is decided on the basis of middle-overs.
“Yeah, for sure. It's a delicate balance sometimes where they're trying to keep the run rate in check, try and go for three or four or an over, or do you try and risk it to pick up those viral wickets? And yeah, I think you saw a bit of a shift in this last game,” Cummins said.
“You know, South Africa, we felt like we had them relatively under control, but we didn't get any wickets. Last time, last game, we were a little bit more aggressive, a few more bounces, and yeah, fortunately, got us a breakthrough, and that's kind of where you get into the game. So, I think it's always that delicate balance,” he added.