Pat Cummins responds to suggestion Pakistan were the better team in second Test

Claims that Pakistan ‘played better’ than the Australians during the Boxing Day Test were coolly dismissed by Pat Cummins, who’s heard a similar sentiment from England before.

Pat Cummins coolly dismissed Pakistan’s assertion that the tourists had been the better side after Australia was once more the subject of an opposition side bleating about a moral victory.

Having earlier hauled his side onto his shoulders to claim a series-clinching 79-run victory late on day four of the Boxing Day Test, the Australian captain was then presented with Pakistan team director Mohammad Rizwan’s suggestion that the “Pakistan team played better than the other team in general.”

It echoed sentiments emanating from England at times during this year’s Ashes, a series that ended with Australia retaining the urn.

Asked who he thought had been the better side on this occasion, Cummins said: “Doesn’t really matter. It’s the team that wins at the end.”

“Yeah, they played well, but glad we got the win,” he said.

The tourists lost 5-18 late on Friday afternoon after the contentious departure of wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan paved the way for a feeble flop from the tail.

Mohammad Rizwan walks off after his dismissal. Picture: William WEST / AFP

Seeking to mount the highest successful fourth innings chase in Tests at the MCG in 95 years, the tourists were bowled out for 237, making it 16 straight Test losses in Australia for Pakistan and ensuring Australia retained the Benaud-Qadir Trophy.

It also consigned Sydney to yet another dead rubber Test.

Cummins capped his outstanding match with the ball, finishing with match figures of 10-97 as the Aussie skipper dislodged Richie Benaud in the top 10 of Australian Test wicket-takers.

Having started the day 241 ahead, Australia tipped its lead over the 300 mark on the back of 53 from Alex Carey, his first half-century in the format since the Jonny Bairstow stumping at Lord’s in early July.

Cummins provided the sturdiest support of Australia’s tail before falling to a contentious lbw decision on 16, upheld on review by third umpire Richard Illingworth despite no mark on Hot Spot and an apparent discrepancy between a spike of Snicko and the moment the ball passed Cummins’ bat following the delivery from seamer Aamer Jamal.

Though considerably more achievable than the targets set for many touring teams in Australia over the years, the goal of 317 seemed galaxies away when openers Abdullah Shafique (four) and Imam-ul-Haq (12) fell to Mitchell Starc and Cummins respectively.

For Shafique it concluded a lamentable performance in this Test in which he also spilled two critical catches.

But Pakistan had talked a big game both before the series and even after being thrashed to the tune of 360 runs in Perth. They walked the walk, led by the aggression of captain Shan Masood, who took to Starc and Nathan Lyon en route to his second half-century of the match.

Cummins was another matter though, removing Shan for 60 after finding an edge snaffled by Steve Smith in the cordon. It was a 249th Test wicket for Cummins, moving past Benaud into the top 10.

Cummins was excellent for Australia. Picture: Getty Images

The presence of Babar Azam down the other end provided hope for the tourists, but his stay ended on 41 after Josh Hazlewood got one to nibble back gently.

Saud Shakeel went for 24 after top-edging a short ball Starc to be well-taken by Carey.

Rizwan and Salman didn’t back down though, although both almost fell in Lyon’s 14th over, with the former edging a tough chance that Carey couldn’t control, and the latter popping one that landed just beyond a lunging Smith.

Cummins was indefatigable though, making the critical breakthrough from a short-ball that Rizwan tried to evade on 35. Gough turned down the appeal, but the skipper challenged, wisely it proved. After an agonising wait, Illingworth instructed his compatriot to overturn the call, with the Pakistani wicketkeeper deemed to have brushed the ball with the trim of his glove.

Rizwan was visibly displeased as he slowly left the field after his fate was confirmed.

“I wasn’t certain. All the replays I saw, I didn’t feel with certainty that it had (hit the wristband). I think if it’s taken that many looks and that long a time, there’s probably got to be a cutoff point,” Aussie great Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.

Jamal couldn’t handle the short stuff a couple of overs later, spooning a return catch to Cummins and push play into an extra half an hour, before Shaheen Shah Afridi was helpless against the Australian captain’s missile, popping one up to short leg to clinch Cummins’ second 10-wicket haul in Test cricket.

Starc banged one in to end Salman Ali Agha’s innings on 50 before finishing it off by bouncing out Mir Hamza for a duck.

The tourists had promised pre-series to attack Lyon and the idea finally bore fruit, with GOAT going wicketless and at more than four an over.

PAKISTAN UP IN ARMS OVER DRS SYSTEM

- Daniel Cherny and Ed Bourke

A furious Pakistan has called for an overhaul of cricket’s “cursed” technology system, claiming the tourists were robbed of a potentially famous victory by a series of umpiring errors.

Pakistan team director and head coach Mohammad Hafeez says Pakistan “played better” than Australia in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and lashed out at the match officials for “inconsistent umpiring” throughout the second Test as the tourists succumbed to a series defeat.

Although Australian captain Pat Cummins disagreed, Hafeez said wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan was adamant the ball did not hit his glove when he was given out caught behind on review in a game-changing decision when Pakistan required only 98 runs to win with five wickets in hand.

Rizwan’s reaction to the decision is set to be scrutinised by ICC match referee Javagal Srinath after he remonstrated with umpires in the middle during and after the review, in which TV umpire Richard Illingworth found the ball had struck the wristband of his glove.

Mohammad Rizwan (C) argues his case with umpire Joel Wilson (L). Picture: William WEST

His coach said the decision against Rizwan and several other “umpire’s call” reviews had cost Pakistan the game.

“Yes, we made some mistakes as a team – we will take that, we will address those things, but at the same time I believe inconsistent umpiring, technology curse ... really given us a result which should have been different, so I feel like these are areas that need to be addressed rightly,” Hafeez said after play.

“Not only (the Rizwan) decision but if you see the whole game, the very inconsistent decisions of the umpires.

“We play this beautiful game of cricket with a natural instinct, and we all know the basics of the game, but sometimes it seems like it’s a technology show, it’s not the cricket we are playing instead.”

Hafeez doubled down on his criticism of the decision review system, saying the process leading to an umpire’s call decision was “not understandable”.

“Technology, I’m in favour of that ... but if it’s bringing some doubts or bringing some curse into the game, it should not be acceptable,” he said.

‘(The ball hitting the stumps) is always out. Why it’s umpire’s call, I’ll never understand that.

“The fans will never understand why this technology is inconsistent, and the result of the game basically comes up differently.

“I will sum up – Pakistan team played better than the other team, in general. Our batting intent was better, our bowling was hitting in the right areas.”

However Cummins, who was himself on the wrong end of a contentious caught behind call earlier in the day, said that technology was a net positive for cricket.

Rizwan (R) reacts after being told he was out. Picture: William WEST / AFP

“I don’t totally agree with that. I mean, it’s not a perfect science, is it the DRS or umpiring or anything? Some go your way, some don’t. A few umpire’s calls for both teams. So the game I think it all evens itself out. I thought this game was pretty 50-50 so that nothing that worried us too much,” Cummins said.

The Aussie skipper, whose match figures of 10-97 earned him player of the match honours, said he thought the Rizwan wicket had been “clearly off the glove strap.”

Cummins added that he didn’t think he’d hit the ball when given out caught behind for 16 in Australia’s second innings, despite no mark appearing on Hot Spot.

“I didn’t think I hit it. Obviously, went up for the referral. I thought I missed it by a bit. So obviously, something showed up on Snicko. Again, one of those ones that can go either way. Kind of got to accept this decision.”

Originally published as Pat Cummins responds to suggestion Pakistan were the better team in second Test