Ashes 2021-22: Pat Cummins Is Going To Learn A Lot Today - Shane Warne After England Eke Out A Draw In SCG Test
Former Australian spinner Shane Warne reckoned that skipper, Pat Cummins, will not be able to sleep peacefully tonight after England managed to salvage a draw with just one wicket remaining in the SCG Test.
Needing 10 wickets on Day 5 to win the fourth Test, Australia picked up nine wickets before Stuart Broad and James Anderson kept the bowlers at bay in the final few overs to eke out a well-deserved draw.
“First of all, he’s going to learn a lot today. He probably won’t sleep tonight, he’ll be thinking about all the things he could have done, all the options he had.”
“Let’s not forget, there were seven overs of rain, a missed run out, dropped catches and if Australia had held their catches and got the runout — Jonny Bairstow I think was the first or second ball — and they got the seven overs of rain they might have actually been able to get it done a lot earlier in the day,” Warne said on Fox Sports.
Shane Warne is unsure if Australia could have declared earlier
On Day 4, Australia had a lead of 387 before they declared. However, with the way England has batted in the series so far, questions were raised if Cummins and co. needed to spend that much time out in the middle with the bat. The weather also ended up washing away a few overs.
“Look, whenever it gets to nine wickets down everyone’s going to say you should have declared earlier. That’s always going to happen, that’s just the way it is, that’s just the way the game goes,” Warne added.
Despite the draw, the match proved to be the best of the series so far with England finally showing some fighting spirit in an otherwise one-sided Ashes series.