The Ashes 2021-22: Pat Cummins Joins Elite List Of Bowlers Following Five-Wicket Haul At Gabba

Australian fast bowler and recently appointed Test captain, Pat Cummins, has entered an elite list of players following his five-wicket haul on Day 1 of the Gabba Test against England.

Cummins ended with figures of 5/38 to join a unique list of bowling captains to have taken five wickets in an innings. He emulated the feats of Anil Kumble, Courtney Walsh, Joe Root, and Daniel Vettori among others. The previous to do so was Rashid Khan in 2019 against Bangladesh.

In his first Test as captain after taking over from Tim Paine, Cummins dismissed Ben Stokes, Haseeb Hameed, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson, and Mark Wood to claim five wickets before Tea on Day 1.

He soaked in the applause from the crowd and his teammates and then led the team off after the end of the second session. Cummins also became the first Australian captain since Richie Benaud to take a five-wicket haul in an Ashes Test.

England left reeling after Pat Cummins’ five-wicket haul

Having opted to bat first on a spicy pitch at the Gabba, England got off to a terrible start as they lost Rory Burns on the first ball of the innings. They couldn’t recover from the first blow as wickets began falling in a cluster.

When Joe Root, the in-form batsman and the best of the current year so far, was dismissed for nought, the plight of the Englishmen became clearer. Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope tried to put on a fight but Cummins ensured that the tail didn’t wag for too long and helped himself to five wickets.

Eventually, England folded up for 147 in their first innings. Rain has delayed play in the final session and Day 1 has almost come to a close.

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