PAK vs AUS: Josh Hazlewood Has Got Babar Azam's Wicket Fair Few Times But... - Pat Cummins

Australia captain Pat Cummins opened up about the turning point of the second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He believes that the wicket of Babar Azam turned the game in their favor on Day 4.

Pakistan set themselves a target of 316 runs to chase in the second game of the Test series in Australia. The visitors didn’t start well on their innings as they lost both the openers early and were tumbling at 49/2.

However, the skipper Shan Masood (60) and Babar Azam played magnificently well to bring the team back into the game. They put Australia under pressure and made them think a lot about their partnership.

Babar Azam in particular looked good to the eyes and played some eye-catching shots. With the way he was batting, it looked like he would end up with a big score and would take his team home. But that wasn’t the case as he was undone by the brilliance of Josh Hazlewood.

Josh Hazlewood produced a peach to remove Babar Azam as the ball nipped back in sharply. It went between the bat and the pad to rattle the stumps. The former Pakistan skipper ended with the knock of 41 runs and with his wicket, Australia was well and truly back in the game.

Pat Cummins believes that Babar Azam’s wicket was a huge moment in the game. He praised Josh Hazlewood for the like of delivery he produced and stated:

“That (Babar Azam’s wicket) was huge. For the major part of the day, he (Josh Hazlewood) was stuck down the wind, but, he just took it upon himself, that was huge and went up another gear I think. He showed his class. I think he has got Babar’s wicket a fair few times but that one is top of the list I reckon,” Pat Cummins told reporters

PAK vs AUS: Love playing here. Boxing Day – biggest Test – Pat Cummins after win against Pakistan

Pat Cummins was the main architect behind Australia’s win in the second Test. The fast bowler picked five-wicket hauls in both the innings and helped his team win the match. He was also awarded Player of the Match for his heroics.

Pat Cummins opened up about the win and stated that he enjoyed playing the build-up to the game. He admitted that they were aiming to set a target of over 300. He explained:

“Love playing here. Boxing Day – biggest Test match of the calendar. Love the build-up around Christmas. Last few years, the wickets have been nice. You got a few options here, there’s a bit of seam in the last few years. I like a bit of up and down bounce. You can bowl some short balls. The run-up’s always really nice here.

“Little bit twitchy (when Pakistan needed less than 100 to win), felt okay, they were batting pretty nicely, happy with the Rizwan wicket. Anything above 300 was the aim, thought we had enough to bowl at, a little bit tight.”

Pat Cummins also completed 250 wickets in Tests. He will be next seen in action when Australia will take on Pakistan in the last game. The match will take place from 3rd January in Sydney.