Australian captain Pat Cummins came up with a fitting response to Pakistan Team Director Mohammad Hafeez claiming themselves to be the better team despite losing the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The 30-year-old said that he's content with the tourists' mindset as winning is all that matters for Australia.
During the post-match presser, Hafeez stated that Pakistan performed better across facets in the Test and that it was the fine margins that scripted Australia's victory. He also lamented the inconsistent nature of umpiring and DRS during Pakistan's run-chase.
In response, Cummins, who took 10 wickets in the match, said during the press conference (as quoted by Fox Sports):
"Ahhhh. Cool. They played well. I am glad we got the win. It doesn’t really matter, does it? It is the team who wins at the end."
Mohammad Rizwan's wicket during Pakistan's pursuit of 318 was the turning point of the game. The Aussie captain bowled an outstanding delivery as the third umpire ruled that the ball had nicked Rizwan's wristband and went through to Carey. The keeper-batter was not happy with that decision.
"My rhythm felt really good" - Pat Cummins
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Cummins underlined that it's the best he has felt about his bowling in a while as everything seemed to come together. He also looked back at the year, terming it as a highly successful one for Australia:
"Personally, I think (I’m) really happy for a few reasons. Probably the one main reason is it is the best that I felt like I have bowled for a little while. My rhythm felt really good. I felt like I had good pace. I knew where my wrist was.
"I could control the seam. I bowled some good bouncers. So I felt really happy with how I was bowling. And as a team, it was just a huge year in all formats. We had a lot of success and to top it off by winning a series at home, which we pride ourselves on doing, is pretty satisfying."
The 79-run win sealed a 2-0 series win for Australia, with the final Test to start from January 3.
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