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Pat Cummins has played down concerns around out-of-form Steve Smith’s low scores in 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Australian captain Pat Cummins. (Picture Credit: AP)
Australian captain Pat Cummins believes Steve Smith is edging closer to a ‘big score’ in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Speaking on the eve of the third Test in Brisbane, Cummins played down Smith’s low scores in the series so far and pointed to his net sessions, saying the number four batter was looking ‘really sharp’.
Smith couldn’t get going in the first two Tests in Perth and Adelaide, scoring 0 (1), 17 (60) and 2 (11) in three innings. Jasprit Bumrah got him out in the first essays of both Tests, while Mohammed Siraj took him out in the second innings in Perth.
“You look at his record, stats would suggest (runs) are not far around the corner,” Cummins said in a press conference. “In particular this year, he’s looking fantastic in the nets, just looking really sharp, looking like he’s got plenty of time. He’s doing all the right things like he always does. He got caught down the leg side last game. I don’t know if you can look into that too much, so I’m sure a big score’s just around the corner.”
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With the series level at 1-1, Cummins would hope Smith can tap into his excellent numbers at the ‘Gabba’. In just ten Tests here, he has scored 821 runs, including three centuries and as many fifties, at an average of 54.73.
The skipper also admitted that there’s a bit of Australian pride on the line for his team in every home series. He said the previous generations have set the expectations of winning at home and he wants to carry that forward.
“There’s definitely pride in winning in Australia,” Cummins said. “These are our home conditions. These are the conditions we grew up playing with. The hardest thing in cricket nowadays is winning a Test series away from home. So to make that World Test Championship, you’ve got to win everything at home and try and pick up some wins overseas where you can. We definitely go into every home series here expecting to win. That’s what we grew up watching. That’s the standard we’ve set ourselves.”
Australia have lost the last two home series against India and haven’t won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy since 2014-15.
‘It’s just a venue’ – Cummins pacifies recent ‘Gabba’ troubles
The ‘Gabba’, once a fortress for almost three decades, hasn’t been as lucky for Australia in recent years. India finished their famous 2020-21 tour with Rishabh Pant’s series-clinching knock here while the West Indies, too, snatched a historic eight-run win at the ground in January this year.
“I looked at it yesterday – it looked like a good wicket, like it has been the last few years,” Cummins added. “A bit of sun baking it the last couple of days (means) I don’t think it’s as green and leafy as it was against South Africa (where the Test ended in two days in 2022).
“It’s just a venue really. We play at dozens and dozens of venues each year. It’s always good coming back to a place that’s familiar… but the scoreboard starts at 0-0, so the venue isn’t the be-all and end-all.”
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Cummins concluded by saying that his bowlers won’t mind continuing to test the Indian tailenders with short balls on the bouncy track.
“It is always in the back of your mind as a bit of a plan B, or if it’s looking really uncomfortable and likely to take wickets, it becomes a plan A for some of the batters. It worked in Adelaide, so I’m sure we’ll give it a shot at some stage. For the tailenders it looked like a wicket was very likely,” he said.
- Location :
Brisbane, Australia
