Former India captain and legendary batter, Virender Sehwag lauded the match-winning effort from Australia skipper Cummins under pressure and said that his partnership with Nathon Lyon will be remembered for a long time.
"What a Test Match. One of the best I have seen in recent times. Testcricket is Best Cricket. Was a gutsy decision by England to declare just before close on Day 1, especially considering the weather. But Khawaja was outstanding in both innings and @patcummins30 is the new Mr. Cool in Test cricket. What an innings under pressure and that partnership with Lyon was one to remember for a long time," Sehwag said in a Tweet.
Cummins and Lyon became the immovable force of defiance at Edgbaston on June 20 (Tuesday). The duo stitched an unbeaten 55-run alliance for the ninth wicket to roll out the Baggy Greens' road to an exhilarating victory on Day 5 of the first Ashes Test. Cummins scored the winning runs before running around the ground in delight. He flung his helmet and bat on the ground and punched the air with both hands and lifted Lyon in the middle of the Edgbaston ground. As a result, Australia avenged their agonising two-run defeat at Edgbaston in 2005.
There were many heroes in the Baggy Greens' spectacular win but their charismatic captain's match-winning knock of 44 not out after picking four wickets with the ball in the second innings played a significant role.
Apart from Cummins' all-around display, Lyon and Scott Boland played a big role as well. The Aussie tailenders blunted the English bowlers' seam, swing and spin like true pros. Also, Usman Khawaja held Australia's innings together both in the first and second innings of the match.
The left-handed batter played an outstanding innings of 141 runs in the first innings and contributed 65 runs in the second innings. In both instances, Khawaja became the pivot around whom the Australian batting line-up revolved.
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Ashes 2023: Humble Pat Cummins showers profound praise on two teammates after leading Australia to exhilarating win over England
