Australia skipper Pat Cummins scored the winning runs, while Alex Carey was only two runs shy of a century.
Pat Cummins’ men won an entertaining Test match against New Zealand, with the skipper scoring the winning runs. Though such moments are praised by fans, Cummins received criticism on social media for hitting the winning runs while Alex Carey was batting on 98. Fans had crossed their fingers, wanting to see Carey surpass the triple-digit mark after playing a crucial part in Australia’s victory. But it wasn’t meant to be. Cummins, in his defense, said he had no idea his non-striking partner was on 98.
Australia needed two runs to win the match after Carey took a single and gave Cumins the strike on the second delivery of the 65th over. Cummins defended the following three deliveries, giving fans optimism for Carey’s strike in the next over.
However, the Australia captain smashed a boundary on the penultimate delivery of the 65th over to complete the chase, leaving Carey unbeaten and just two runs short of a century.
In the post-match press conference, Carey stated that he was delighted to prioritize the team.
“I was pleased with that,” Carey laughed. “I didn’t want to get on strike again.”
Further discussing the match, Australia’s skipper stated that the team’s victory was largely due to the first innings lead.
“The toss helped, and it was amusing how quickly the match moved on Day 1.” For this reason, leads in the first innings are always important. We’ve been on the other side of Tests before, so I simply advised the players to keep the scoreboard moving, be busy, and put pressure on the opposition,” Cummins said.
“We have an experienced side; the story of this series has been guys stepping up in crucial circumstances. “I enjoy playing Test matches; it’s the best format of cricket, and it pays off on days like this,” the Australian captain said.
