Ashes 2021-22: Pressure on Pat Cummins and Australian attack as huge day looms

History says Australia should win this Test but Australia’s struggles in recent Tests mean Saturday is a huge day for Australia, writes Robert Craddock.

The honeymoon lasted two days. Now Pat Cummins has entered the real world.

This is what Allan Border was talking about when he spotlighted the sleepless nights, that all-consuming feeling that there is always something to attend to and that sapping end of day vibe when you think “I’m exhausted.’’

These were the days Steve Harmison was spotlighting when he said England must try to keep Australia out in the field for as long as possible to drain Cummins the captain, in the hope it drains Cummins the bowler.

History says Australia should win this Test but day three was a shapshot of many such days Cummins will have ahead where things don’t go as planned, including the absence of Josh Hazlewood from the attack for three hours.

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Pat Cummins had his first difficult day on the job. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Australia has three tours of the Indian subcontinent in the next two years, where it will play Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka in conditions where visiting captains often look up their sleeve for inspiration and all they see is a sweaty arm.

Cummins does not yet claim to have all the answers. There were times in the field when three or four voices were chipping in for Cummins is learning and leading at the same time.

Even as Australia despaired there was a buzz in the air at the Gabba at the unexpected sight of England raising their gloves.

Joe Root and Dawid Malan were magnificent in the composed way they absorbed Australia’s early innings punches then coolly crafted a major comeback.

Saturday is a huge day for Australia. In the last two Tests they played against India last summer Australia’s bowlers could not put away India in the last innings.

The pressure is substantial for them to do so here. Three times in a row would be deemed more than a coincidence. If the attack is undermanned England have a chance to do something truly special.

Pat Cummins did his best to keep the pressure on England in the second innings. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

THE LONG WAIT

It was the day when a milestone became a millstone and an entire cricket nation could feel the weight of it.

The day when relief rather than celebration became the prime emotion looming for Nathan Lyon’s 400th wicket which felt like cricket’s search for the Loch Ness Monster, given he has been chasing it since taking Shubman Gill’s wicket on the last day of the Gabba Test against India in January.

Former Test stars know the pressure.

Richard Hadlee tells of the milestone pressure he felt before he became the world’s leading Test wicket-taker in India.

Soon after taking it one of Hadlee’s team-mates said to him “I’m glad you got it because now you can come back and join the rest of us,’’ spotlighting the distracting pressure Hadlee felt in the countdown.

Allan Border got his 10,000th Test run in New Zealand but even he felt taxed by the countdown and told team-mates in the weeks beforehand “I just want to get this thing out of the road.’’

Lyon appeared to be bowling too quickly at times to get the loop which characterizes his bowling when it’s at its best. England shipped in a bowling machine to bowl just like Lyon in the build-up to the Test. It appears to have done its job.

Nathan Lyon is still yet to reach his long-awaited milestone. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

PRESSURE’S ON

Jack Leach has probably never heard of Jack Saunders and that may well be a good thing.

Most Australian cricket records are held by famous identities such as Ricky Ponting or Shane Warne but Saunders, a Toorak-residing Melburnian who played his last Test in 1908, holds the obscure record of taking more Test wickets (78) than any other Australian left-arm spinner.

It’s just the one type of bowler who has traditionally struggled in Australia.

So when England brought Leach as their spin bowling weapon of choice they challenged 144 years of Test history, which said it would be slim pickings.

Ian Chappell reckons England cannot choose Leach again this series after he was mauled by Australia with figures of 1-102 from 13 overs.

The heat is on Jack Leach (left). Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

TOUGH LOVE

Expect Australia to continue to hand out tough love in its contract list after Travis Head followed his contract snub with the innings of his life.

Australia’s selectors surprised by naming just 17 players on this year’s contract list when they had the power to name 20. Head was a narrow and “greatly disappointed’’ omission after the panel said they would rather the last three players earned their deals mid-season rather than were paid for potential rather than performance.

Did the acorn on his seat spur Head to his finest innings? Only he would know but a little dose of smelling salts seemed to do the trick.