Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins has spoken candidly about what happened after the Lord’s Cricket Ground’s second Ashes Test in 2023. Ben Stokes and company were outplayed by Australia by 43 runs, giving the Kangaroos a 2-0 series lead in the Ashes.
In the fourth innings, Australia set a 371-run target for England. The dismissal of wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow during the second Test was the main topic of conversation. After avoiding a bouncer from all-rounder Cameron Green, the Englishman was stumped by his Australian counterpart Alex Carey as he walked out of his crease.
The aforementioned incident, in Pat Cummins opinion, sparked the Ashes series.
The 30-year-old claimed that after the game, a lot of people were discussing it. He was happy to learn that people were paying attention to the game’s longest format. Every Ashes series, he continued, will have something to offer everyone.
It was the midst of winter in Australia, and for a few months, cricket was the most popular sport. “I think the great thing was how many people were speaking about cricket,” said the speaker. As a result, I found it wonderful that so many people were watching Test cricket and enjoying the game every day. Every Ashes series appears to lose something, as well as the historical rivalry between us and them in sports, Pat Cummins stated on Channel Seven’s Sunrise.
Following Jony Bairstow’s contentious firing, the England team, supporters, and media all made strong statements. The players wouldn’t hang around with the visitors for a time, according to England’s head coach Brendon McCullum, who later rescinded that statement.
Australia, on the other hand, held steady throughout the “Spirit of Cricket” debate. Additionally, Cummins has supported Carey ever since the first game, when the English audience made disparaging remarks about the Australian wicketkeeper for the remainder of the series.
In the third Test, England made a significant comeback and won by three wickets. After the fourth game finished in a draw, the hosts also won the fifth and final Test, preventing Australia from winning an Ashes series on English soil since 2001.