Pat Cummins’s superb 6/28 dismantled South Africa in the WTC Final, giving Australia a big first-innings lead. His sharp tactics and attacking field placements at Lord’s marked his 300th Test wicket and strengthened Australia’s grip on the match
Australia skipper Pat Cummins delivered a masterclass performance with the ball on Day 2 of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2025 against South Africa at Lord’s on Thursday, June 12.
Cummins led the pace attack brilliantly to give the defending champions a 74-run lead in the first innings by bundling South Africa for 138 runs in 57.1 overs. The Proteas resumed their first innings batting with a total of 43/4 in 22 overs. However, Australia's bowling attack led by South Africa's batting line-up a tough time consistently hitting the right lengths and exploiting the conditions to dismantle the middle and lower order with ease.
Pat Cummins dismantled the middle and lower-order of South Africa’s batting line-up to ensure that Australia gained a crucial first-innings advantage and tightened their grip on the WTC Final at Lord’s.
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Records and 300 Test wickets for Australia
After taking a wicket of Wiaan Mulder on Day 1 of the WTC Final, Pat Cummins bagged five more wickets of Temba Bavuma, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, and Kagiso Rabada to register the figures of 6/28 at an economy rate of 1.50 in 18.1 overs. Cummins overtook former England captain Bob Willis’ record to register the bowling figures by a captain at Lord’s. Pat Cummins has the joint-second most fifers (9) as a captain in Tests, levelling with former Australia captain late. Richie Benaurd.
Moreover, Pat Cummins became the bowler to take six wickets in an innings of the World Test Championship, surpassing previous best figures by New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson and South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada, who had both taken five-wicket hauls in the title clash. The right-arm pacer not only shattered records but also turned the game in his team’s favour with his fiery spell on Day 2 of the WTC Final.
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Pat Cummins has completed 300 wickets in his career and became the fourth fastest Australian bowler to do so, achieving the feat in 68 matches. Cummins is currently seventh on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers for Australia in the longest format of the game, with 300 wickets, including 17 4-wicket hauls and 14 fifers, at an average of 22.08 and an economy rate of 2.89. Cummins entered the WTC Final with 294 wickets and reached the 300-wicket milestone with a sensational six-wicket haul,
Speaking of the 300-wicket milestone in Tests, Pat Cummins said, “It's way more than I could have asked for. For any fast bowler 300 is a big number, means you've battled a few injuries and niggles, got through it and played well in different conditions.”
Cummins’ captaincy class on display
Pat Cummins’ tactical brilliance was on full display as he brilliantly rotated the bowling and set the field placements to set the tone for Australia’s dominance in the World Test Championship. Cummins, who took a wicket in the morning session, returned after the lunch break to produce a blistering burst, taking four wickets for just one run to leave South Africa reeling.
Cummins was instrumental in breaking the crucial 64-run stand for the fifth wicket between Temba Bavuma and David Bedingham by dismissing South Africa's skipper at 94/5. Thereafter, Proteas' middle and lower-order suffered a collapse, as they lost the remaining five wickets for 44 runs, handing Australia a commanding first-innings lead and shifting the momentum firmly in the defending champions' favour at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Pat Cummins set up an aggressive fielding placement to put pressure on South Africa's batting line-up, positioning catches in the slip cordon and close-in fielders like leg gully and short mid-wicket, which eventually paid off as South Africa crumbled under pressure from relentless pace and precision.
Apart from Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood also contributed to Australia’s bowling. Starc picked up two wickets, while Hazlewood scalped a wicket.
