The Ashes 2023

Pat Cummins gets Joe Root for the 11th Time in Test cricket at Headingley in Ashes 2023

Joe Root was caught down the leg side by Pat Cummins for only 21 off 33 balls and three fours. Joe Root has now been ejected by Pat Cummins 11 times in Test matches. It has been really thrilling to watch the Ashes series. Australia now holds a 2-0 advantage. England had a commanding lead in the third Test at Headingley. Australia was dismissed for 263 on a different pitch and under marginally different circumstances.

It was an innings of two halves for Australia, as Mitchell Marsh battled brilliantly to score a splendid run of 118 off 118 balls with 17 fours and four sixes. Mark Wood picked up a five-wicket haul in the first innings. When England came out to bat it was a similar story as wickets kept tumbling with Cummins picking 6-91 in his eight-over spell. This meant Australia had a slender lead of 26 runs. In the second innings, the Kangaroos could only get to 224.

Pat Cummins is a very humble human being: Wasim Akram

The chief contributor to helping Australia reach that score was Travis Head who made 77 off 112 balls with seven fours and three sixes. Usman Khawaja made 43 off 96 balls with three fours. Stuart Broad picked up 3-45 in his spell of 14.1 overs. Chris Woakes was a valuable addition to the side as he took 3-68 in his 18-over spell. Wood and Moeen Ali were amongst the wickets again as they picked up two wickets each.

Day 4 looks like an interesting prospect, at the time of writing at Lunch, England need 98 runs whereas Australia requires 6 wickets to win the game at Headingley. On another note, former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram lauded Cummins’ leadership and rated him very highly. ‘Pat Cummins has proved that wrong … that particular concept that bowlers cannot be good captains,’ Akram told the Herald Sun.

“I think Pat is doing a phenomenal job. I worked with him about six or seven years ago in the IPL for a couple of years. He is a great leader on and off the field, a humble human and is liked by the team. He is one of those guys who always has a smile on his face and he has the positivity which he is passing on to the team as a leader.” Akram added.