Bravest Decision! Allan Border On Pat Cummins Opting To Bowl First In CWC Final

Former Australia skipper Allan Border feels that Pat Cummins opting to bowl first in the ICC World Cup 2023 final was a brave decision. Allan Border also admitted that he felt the Aussies made a mistake by deciding to bowl first in the match.

However, Pat Cummins’ decision to bat first proved to be fruitful as the Aussies managed to restrict India to a low total of 240. A relatively slow and dry pitch did not allow Indian batters to go high. Later, the pitch reacted better and with the help of dew, the Aussies chased down the target by 6 wickets.

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Pat Cummins Opting To Bowl First Was A Brave Decision- Allan Border

Speaking to Fox Sports, World Cup-winning Australia captain Allan Border said that opting to bowl first was one of the bravest decisions by Pat Cummins.

“Pat Cummins’ ‘bowl first’ call in the World Cup final was one of the bravest decisions I have seen from a cricket captain. I must be honest, when I heard Pat say “we will bowl’’ I thought “oh no, Patrick, you have lost the plot, you blokes”, he said. 

Allan Border also revealed he felt the Aussies made a mistake after seeing Rohit Sharma smashing runs during the powerplay overs.

“When Rohit Sharma was going hard early, I thought “what are we doing?’ Those first half a dozen to 10 overs I was thinking, ‘Oh my god, The decision to bowl first has just backfired,” said Border.

Also Read: Revealed: Why India Opted For Sluggish Pitch Against Australia In World Cup 2023 Final

With the help of cutters and bouncers, Australian pacers managed to get key wickets in the 1st innings. Since India lost most of their batsmen early, they failed to set up a big total on the scoreboard.

Australia pacers were quite successful in the match, with Mitchell Starc getting 3 wickets and Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood getting 2 scalps each. Cummins bowled a superb spell, conceding just 34 runs in his 10 overs. Travis Head played a match-winning knock of 137 runs to drive Australia to victory in 43 overs.