Australia, captained by Pat Cummins, clinched a 79-run victory against Pakistan in the second test held in Melbourne, sealing the 3-match test series triumph, with one match still to go, in Australia. Following their win in Perth during the first test, the Australians secured another series victory in the Boxing Day Test hosted at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Pat Cummins emerged as the linchpin in Australia’s victory, delivering an exceptional bowling performance and consistently claiming crucial wickets for the hosts. Adding to his stellar display, he achieved another significant milestone by becoming the joint-fourth fastest Australian to reach 250 wickets in Test matches.
Captain Cummins displayed exceptional form during both innings, securing five-wicket hauls in each. In the first innings, he claimed five wickets, conceding only 48 runs across 20 overs. Mirroring this performance, Cummins replicated his feat in the second innings, capturing another five-wicket haul while conceding a mere 49 runs in his 18 overs.
Following his superb bowling display, Pat Cummins has joined an exclusive group of players by securing 250 Test wickets. Mohammad Rizwan became his 250th victim in Test cricket during the PAK vs AUS Day 4 encounter, propelling Cummins into the elite ranks as the 10th Australian to achieve this feat. Notably, he stands as the eighth Australian pacer to reach this milestone, surpassing the legendary leg-spinner Richard Benaud in the process with Shane Warne and Nathan Lyon being the only spinners in the list.
He joined the ranks as the fourth fastest Australian pace bowler to achieve 250 wickets in Test cricket. Sharing this milestone with another Australian great, Mitchell Johnson, both accomplished this feat in their 57th Test match.
Here's the list of Australian bowlers who reached 250 Test wickets fastest:
- DK Lillee v India at Melbourne on 07-Feb-81 in 48 matches
- SK Warne v England at Manchester on 03-Jul-97 in 55 matches
- GD McGrath v Pakistan at Hobart on 18-Nov-99 in 55 matches
- MG Johnson v South Africa at Centurion on 12-Feb-14 in 57 matches
- P Cummins v Pakistan at Melbourne on 26-Dec-23 in 57 matches
Here's the list of Australian bowlers with the most Test wickets:
- SK Warne 145 matches and 708 wickets
- GD McGrath 124 matches and 563 wickets
- NM Lyon 124* matches and 505 wickets
- DK Lillee 70 matches and 355 wickets
- MA Starc 84* matches and 341 wickets
- MG Johnson 73 matches and 313 wickets
- B Lee 76 matches and 310 wickets
- CJ McDermott 71 matches and 291 wickets
- JN Gillespie 71 matches and 259 wickets
- PJ Cummins 57* matches and 252 wickets
Asterisk (*) denotes that the players are currently active and not retired.