After guiding his team to victory against India in the World Test Championship final, Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, has his sights set on a “legacy-defining” Ashes series in England.
With their defeat of India by 209 runs at The Oval, Cummins’ squad surpassed New Zealand, the winners of the first World Twenty20 Championship, as the best red-ball team in international cricket.
The victory served as a perfect boost five days before the opening Test match against Australia’s archrivals England at Edgbaston, where Cummins will be attempting to become the first Australia skipper to lead his team to victory in an away Ashes series since Steve Waugh in 2001.
“Whether we like it or not, Ashes series have a tendency to define eras and teams,” remarked Cummins.
“It’s pretty difficult to win an Ashes series in England. Given that it has been over 20 years, this is not going to be a simple task. If we are victorious, the decisions we make now will define our legacy.
The World Test Championship success for Australia was the climax of a two-year schedule of Tests in which they won 12 of 20 matches, had five draws, and lost just three of those matches.
In spite of the fact that the Ashes were coming up, Cummins insisted that it was still important to take pleasure in the event for what it was.
“I think we’ll sit around in the changing rooms for a while, and then we’ll find a nice sunny English beer garden somewhere this afternoon to sit back and celebrate,” said the 30-year-old fast bowler. “I think we’ll sit around in the changing rooms for a while.”
“I am aware that we are in the middle of a really important series, but we can worry about that in a few days.
“You only get a few of these moments in your career where you can sit back, acknowledge a pretty special achievement and this is one of those times,” the person said. “And this is one of those times.”
Boland, known as “Fantastic” Boland
The Australian team will be traveling from London to Birmingham for the first test of the Ashes, and one possible concern for them is the make-up of their speed attack.
It would appear that Scott Boland has pushed his way into the lineup, as he has already taken 33 wickets in eight Tests at an astonishingly low average of 14.57.
The seamer got rid of Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli in the same over, which was the beginning of the end for India on the fourth and final day.
That seems to only leave one option. Mitchell Starc, who bowls quickly with his left arm, is in competition with Josh Hazlewood, who was declared fit after missing the final.
Cummins remarked that Scotty played really well and is now his favorite player.
“It seems like he’s always discovering a new level, doesn’t he? He was simply our team’s top bowler during the whole match.
“He kept it together, he didn’t go for many runs, and to get two big wickets in an over is just reward for how well he bowled,” the commentator said after the game.
“There is no doubt that Scotty will play a significant part in the Ashes.”
India, who had previously been defeated by New Zealand in the inaugural final of the WTC two years ago, is now still looking for their first major global trophy since 2013.
Rohit Sharma, the captain of India’s cricket team, stated that the future championship should not be decided by a single match but rather by a series of matches.
However, he acknowledged that squeezing another event into an already packed foreign schedule would be difficult.
“That sounds amazing, but do you think we have enough time?” he inquired. In a competition of this magnitude, it is essential to provide equal opportunity to both of the teams.
“It would be nice to play a three-match series, but it comes down to finding a window.”