The Australian skipper couldn’t help but highlight some of his team’s missed chances, including multiple drops, as they failed to close out the Karachi Test against Pakistan. The hosts batted out over 171 overs to play out a draw, denying Australia what seemed like a straightforward victory at the halfway mark.
On a slow but largely benign surface at the National Stadium, Pakistan went as deep as 443/7 into their run-chase of the impregnable target of 506, with their skipper Babar Azam (196) and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan (104*) making hundreds.
The Australians declared early with an eye to give themselves enough time to take 10 wickets. In the end, their largely disciplined effort was nullified by a flat batting surface that offered no lateral turn and uneven bounce to consistently trouble the Pakistan batters.
But what fell under scrutiny for Cummins are some of the drops that were seen on the field. Pakistan were 21/2 at one stage and could well have been 38/3 with the new hard ball had senior pro Steve Smith not spilt an easy chance in the slips off in-form opening batter Abdullah Shafique, who went to make a fighting 96 and stitched a marathon stand of 248 runs with Babar for the third wicket.
There were other occasions as well where had Australia held on to their catches, Pakistan might have failed to survive that long. If one casts their mind back to recent history, this was Australia’s fifth instance of failing to close out a final-innings challenge from a position of strength since the start of 2019.
The list includes the SCG draw against England this January, the painful Headingley loss prior to that. In between, India’s draw in the New Year’s Test and their memorable triumph at the Gabba in the very next Test. For a team that prides itself on a mighty first-choice bowling attack, this is an unwanted record to carry on.
“Think the positive thing is each time we’ve created more than 10 chances. [It’s] probably the disappointing thing this game as well. If we took a couple of those catches it might be a different scenario,”
Cummins was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo on March 16 after the final day’s play.
“I walked off the field at the end of the day’s play without feeling there was something I hadn’t tried, or there wasn’t a plan we hadn’t given a really good chance at.”
“In foreign conditions we are showing that we are able to adapt and play well over here. But of course, getting so close, [being] so far ahead of the game, and not coming away with the result can feel like it’s a missed opportunity,”
he added.
When such a draw is played out in the subcontinent, the focus generally goes on the spinners coming from foreign terrains. And in cold numbers, it may seem that experienced offie Nathan Lyon and his young wristspin compatriot Mitchell Swepson did let go of an opportunity. Swepson delivered nearly 54 wicket-less overs for 156 in the final innings, and Lyon was also wicketless for long hours till late into the Test he got a three-scalp burst his way.
Cummins, however, did not focus much on their wickets column and made a point to stress that the scoreboard doesn’t show how well the spin duo bowled over multiple spells without much help from the track and rewards their way. The skipper said Swepson bowled “fantastically today”, adding that Lyon too bowled very well.
With the series standing 0-0, all eyes are on the final Test in Lahore, starting March 21.
