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Sports Desk : Australian captain Pat Cummins etched his name in the history books with an extraordinary bowling display at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground. Cummins claimed 6 wickets for just 28 runs in an innings, setting a new record for the most wickets by a captain in a single innings at Lord’s. This remarkable feat saw him surpass the legendary English captain Bob Willis, who had taken 6 wickets for 101 runs against India at the same venue in 1982.
Australia struggled with the bat in their first innings, barely crossing the 200-run mark, thanks largely to Steven Smith’s contribution. However, the bowlers, led by Cummins, staged a stunning comeback. Starting the match with 294 Test wickets, Cummins picked up one wicket on the first day and added five more on the second, reaching the coveted 300-wicket milestone in his 68th Test. He achieved this in just 13,725 balls, making him the fifth-fastest pacer to reach 300 wickets. Cummins became the sixth Australian pacer and the eighth Australian bowler overall to join this elite club.
As a captain, Cummins now has 136 wickets, a tally surpassed among pace-bowling captains only by Pakistan’s Imran Khan (187 wickets). Among Australian captains, he trails only former spinner Richie Benaud (138 wickets). Additionally, Cummins has claimed five-wicket hauls as captain nine times, a record bettered only by Imran Khan (12 times).
Cummins’ stellar performance not only secured a historic record but also underscored his pivotal role in Australia’s dominant bowling effort at Lord’s.
AI/MR
