Matthew Hayden has claimed that the bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc is better than the iconic Australian pace attack of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie after their performance on Day 2 of the World Test Championship final on Thursday, June 12. Cummins broke all sorts of records as he picked up figures of 6 for 28, while Starc took 2 and Hazlewood 1 as Australia bundled out South Africa for 138 runs.
Speaking after the end of Day 2, Hayden said that Cummins does everything right and the trio have bowled together more and in different combinations as compared to the legendary trio. The former Aussie opener felt that Australia did well to pull ahead despite pressure, with the game being evenly poised heading into Day 3.
“Cummins does everything right—he challenges the off stump, uses the slope, and targets the top of the stumps, making batters play constantly. He now has over 300 Test wickets despite not bowling for five and a half years due to injury. That’s extraordinary.”
“The trio of Hazlewood, Cummins, and Starc might just be Australia’s best-ever pace attack—even better than McGrath, Gillespie, and Lee—because they’ve bowled more together, in more combinations. Add Nathan Lyon to the mix, and it’s an ‘awesome foursome.’ Australia did well to pull ahead despite pressure. South Africa fought back hard, making this a seesaw contest. It’s been a fantastic Test match so far, and Day 3 promises more drama,” said Hayden.
‘Bowlers have dominated WTC Final so far’
A total of 14 wickets have each fallen on first two days and Hayden feels that the batters have been a bit rusty. The former Aussie opener feels that South Africa will need to get a hundred-run stand and a fifty partnership in the second innings to help them stay in the game.
“Looking at Day 2 performance, an equal number of wickets have fallen over the two days. Batters seem a bit rusty in terms of Test match batting. The lateral movement has made footwork difficult—they’re getting hit on the pads, edging deliveries. Bowlers have dominated this match.
There hasn’t been a single century partnership yet, and that could make a huge difference in the fourth innings. Even if Australia gets a lead of 250, South Africa will need a 100-run stand and another 50-run partnership to stay in the game. Ironically, more wickets have fallen when the sun’s been out, not under overhead conditions. It speaks more about batting rust than exceptional bowling.”