Australia captain Pat Cummins has defended the bowler-dominated World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa, asserting that it remains a "good Test match" despite the rapid fall of wickets. The match, being held at Lord's, has seen an astounding 28 wickets tumble in the first two days, leading some to question whether the balance between bat and ball has been skewed too far in favor of the bowlers.
Cummins, who himself played a significant role in the bowling dominance with a superb six-wicket haul on the second day, reaching his 300th Test wicket in the process, believes that the evenness of the contest shouldn't be judged solely on the number of wickets that have fallen. Asked whether the bowler's dominance detracted from the occasion of a championship final, Cummins stated, "After two days it's pretty close to 50-50. It's a pretty good Test match. Some blokes have got themselves in and looked comfortable out there, but a lot of other guys haven't." He highlighted that despite the challenging conditions, some batsmen have managed to find their footing and contribute meaningfully.
Cummins attributed the swift progression of the match to a combination of a tricky pitch and disciplined, high-quality bowling from both sides. "Both teams have bowled really well, really disciplined," he noted. "There haven't been many half-volleys." This suggests that the bowlers have consistently hit good lengths and maintained tight lines, making it difficult for batsmen to score freely.
Echoing Cummins' sentiment, South African batsman David Bedingham, who top-scored for his team with 45, acknowledged the difficulty posed by the quality of the bowling attack. "It's a fairly tricky pitch, but I think when you have six quality seamers on a tricky pitch it obviously makes batting tough," Bedingham said.
The Australian captain's outstanding performance saw South Africa dismissed for a meager 138, granting Australia a 74-run lead on the first innings. Cummins was particularly effective in a post-lunch spell, grabbing four wickets for just one run in 17 balls. Reflecting on reaching the milestone of 300 Test wickets, Cummins said it was “pretty cool” and a “pretty good sign of durability and longevity.” He became only the eighth Australian bowler to achieve this feat.
While some observers have pointed fingers at the pitch, suggesting it is excessively favoring bowlers, data indicates that the amount of swing and seam is not out of the ordinary for Lord's. CricViz's Head of Insight, Ben Jones, pointed out that the "tracking data for this Test is normal, in some areas less movement than is typical for Lord's." He emphasized the consistent, accurate bowling and the "extremely average batting under pressure" as key factors.
Adding to the discussion, former England captain Kevin Pietersen noted that the majority of players in the WTC final came directly from the Indian Premier League (IPL) without playing any Test cricket for months.
As play moves into the third day, Australia holds a lead of 218 runs with two wickets in hand. Cummins acknowledged that his team would ideally have more wickets in hand but expressed confidence in setting up a day three finish. “I think it is set up pretty well for a day three finish, you'd imagine, tomorrow," he said.
