A pretty impressive debut for the 'new kid on the block' of Australian cricket, 6 wickets in the first innings and 7/116 match haul. the stats do not lie in this case as cummins was lethal with the ball delivering at good pace troubling the world number 2's formidable batting line up. The ideal scenario for the Aussies would be if Cummins was to continue this flare that he has shown in the shorter formats of the game in test matches; the biggest stage of world cricket.
On debut Cummins has shown plenty of promise for this flare and ability to rush some of the best batsman in world cricket to continue long into the future. One nation that will be keeping close tabs on the progress of Pat Cummins (18) will be England. The seemingly dull and futile attack that England faced down under in the last ashes series now seems a distant memory. Cummins has provided life and energy that the Australians desperately needed, Mitchell Johnson undoubtedly has talent and will take wickets for a long time to come i'm sure but was again considerably unsuccessful at the wanderers taking 2 wickets for around 160 runs. Cummins needs to provide the consistency that Johnson so often struggles with.
Another issue for the Australians is the post-Warne spinner debate. Nathan Lyon has definitely showed promise but seems to blow both hot and cold. 4 wickets at the wanderers for Lyon is a good haul despite conditions. However, control at one end is very important where seamers are making inroads is important. This is something that Swann has done so well for England during the ashes and the home series against the Sri-Lankans and Indians. It is also something that Xavier Doherty struggled so much with during the ashes which gave England opportunities to build big leads without great amounts of pressure. This could haunt Australia in years to come; Cummins and Johnson providing a wicket taking threat but this threat could be nullified without scoreboard pressure. This is something that definitely needs to be addressed by Mickey Arthur who used Paul Harris so well in this role.
