ICC World Cup 2019 | Important to bowl dot deliveries, says Pat Cummins
BCCI
Australian speedster Pat Cummins has highlighted the importance of dot deliveries in this batsman-dominated game and has been successful while using this mantra. Cummins has bowled the most number of dot deliveries in the tournament and has been instrumental with the ball for Australia.
Australia romped home to a much-needed victory against their third World Cup encounter against Pakistan on Wednesday. Cummins bagged three wickets for 33 and squeezed up the runs from his end, further tightening the noose around Pakistani batsmen with his immaculate line and length.
Since his return to the Australian side, Cummins has looked a different bowler altogether and has bowled with good rhythm. With three games under his belt in the tournament so far, Cummins is leading the chart for bowling the most number of dot deliveries, which is an indication of his control. Â
"That's the big improvement in my game in the last couple of years, the ability to hold a length and make it difficult to get runs. If you give away easy singles then 300 becomes quite an achievable score. Cutting out the singles is huge, it means if you give away a boundary it might not be that big over of ten or 11, it may just be a five or a six," Cummins said, reported PTI.Â
After a collapse, Pakistan were back into the game as Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab Riaz stitched a crucial partnership of 45 between them. It gave Australia a massive scare but their bowlers pulled things back before it was too late.Â
"It goes to show that everyone can bat these days. It was a bit closer than we would have liked, so it was good to get those couple of wickets and finish it off. We gave them a bit too much width and suddenly they were back in the game, it's a good lesson to learn," Cummins said.
A 146-run opening stand between David Warner and Aaron Finch set the tone for Australia. The southpaw found his zone and zen with an emphatic ton and will be the man to watch out for in the games to come.Â
"We were so pumped for him, he was really open and honest after the Oval game. He was playing more timid than normal but we saw his mindset change from the start here. I think if you look over the transition of his career, he's become more measured in his approach. His energy out in the middle is still an example, the way you see him sprinting hard for singles and bouncing down the wicket. He looks really sharp in this tournament,” Cummins said.
