Pat Cummins has faced many famous players during his cricket career. He has played in Test matches, World Cups, and other big international games.
The Australian fast bowler has bowled to some of the world’s best batters. Each player gave him a different challenge. Some made him bowl for a long time, while others attacked him and put him under pressure quickly.
When asked to name the toughest opponent from each country, Cummins picked some interesting names.
He selected seven players from England, Pakistan, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. His list included legendary batters and one famous spinner. Let’s see Cummins’ picks.
Pat Cummins Toughest Opponent from Each Team
Here are Cummins’ seven picks.
Alastair Cook – England
Cummins picked former England captain Alastair Cook as his toughest opponent from England.
Cook was famous for his patience and his ability to bat for a long time in Test matches. Fast bowlers often had to bowl many overs before they could get his wicket.
Cummins remembered one particular game against the former England opener.
“I think Alastair Cook MCJ got 200-odd. He just batted and batted for what felt like a month,” Cummins said.
The Australian’s words show why Cook was so difficult to bowl to. Cook could stay at the crease for a very long time and make bowlers work hard for his wicket.
Cook scored 12,472 runs in Test cricket. He remains England’s highest run-scorer in the format.
Saeed Ajmal – Pakistan
Cummins picked a bowler instead of a batter for Pakistan. He chose legendary spinner Saeed Ajmal.
Ajmal became famous for his different bowling variations. He could make it very difficult for batters to read his deliveries.
Cummins remembered one early experience against Ajmal. He had just come in to bat late in an over.
“It was like last ball of the over I walked in. Saeed Ajmal was going and I went what? Clean bowled. I’ve never seen anything like that,” Cummins recalled.
This experience clearly stayed in Cummins’ mind.
Ajmal used his off-spin, doosra and other variations to trouble batters. His ability to change the ball and deceive batters made him a very difficult bowler to face.
For Cummins, Ajmal was clearly a bowler he never forgot.
Cheteshwar Pujara – India
For India, Cummins chose Cheteshwar Pujara instead of more attacking stars such as Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma.
Pujara became famous for his patient style of Test batting. He could stay at the crease for a long time and make bowlers work for every wicket.
“Really hard to get out. Just like death by a thousand paper cuts,” Cummins said.
The Australian also explained how Pujara could keep batting without taking big risks.
“Happy to face 100 odd balls if he wanted to. Just not going to give you a chance,” Cummins added.
Pujara was ready to wait for the right ball. He could leave deliveries outside his scoring areas and defend against good bowling.
This made bowlers work hard for his wicket.
For Cummins, the biggest challenge was the amount of effort needed to finally get Pujara out.
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Brendon McCullum – New Zealand
Pat Cummins selected Brendon McCullum from New Zealand.
The former New Zealand captain was known for his aggressive batting. He often attacked bowlers from the start of an innings.
Cummins remembered facing McCullum when he was attacking at the top of the order.
“I played Brendon McCullum a couple of times when he was really going hard at the top of the order,” Cummins said.
McCullum gave bowlers a very different challenge from players like Pujara and Cook.
Instead of waiting for the bowler to make a mistake, McCullum could attack first. His aggressive batting could put the bowler under pressure within a few balls.
AB de Villiers – South Africa
For South Africa, Pat Cummins picked AB de Villiers.
The former South African batter could play in many different ways. He could score quickly in T20 cricket and also bat for a long time in Test matches.
“All three formats. He had the different gears,” Cummins said.
He then explained how De Villiers could change his game depending on the format.
“So, in a T20 he could get down on one knee and sweep you, but in a Test match he could bat all day if he wanted to.”
De Villiers could attack when the situation needed it. He could also play carefully and stay at the crease for a long time.
This made it difficult for bowlers to use the same plan against him.
Tillakaratne Dilshan – Sri Lanka
Cummins chose Tillakaratne Dilshan from Sri Lanka.
He remembered Dilshan for the famous shot that became known as the “Dilscoop.”
“I played a little bit against him when I was young and it was when he did the Dil Scoop,” Cummins said.
The shot became one of the most famous shots in limited-overs cricket. Dilshan was ready to play it even when very few other batters were trying it.
“Now, everyone scoops. Back then he would do that first over game, second over of the game. Hardly ever seen anything like it,” Cummins added.
For Pat Cummins, Dilshan stood out because he was ready to play the shot very early in an innings.
His creative batting gave bowlers something new to think about.
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Chris Gayle – West Indies
Cummins’ final pick was Chris Gayle.
The former West Indies opener became famous for his huge sixes and powerful batting. He was especially dangerous in T20 cricket.
Cummins remembered how Gayle looked from the bowler’s end.
“He’s so big. Top of my mark, you look at the crease and he just looks like he’s 7 ft tall,” Cummins said.
But Gayle’s size was not the only problem for bowlers.
“Tiny swing of the bat and still just hit a massive six. So, he’s scary,” Cummins added.
Gayle could hit huge sixes without making a big swing. Even a small mistake from the bowler could lead to a boundary or a six.
That power made him one of the most feared T20 batters of his time.
Seven players, seven different challenges
Cummins’ seven choices show the different challenges bowlers face in cricket.
Cook and Pujara made bowlers work hard because they could bat for a long time. McCullum and Gayle used their power to attack bowlers. De Villiers could defend and attack when needed.
Dilshan created problems with his unusual shots, while Ajmal used his bowling variations to trouble batters.
The list shows that the toughest opponent in cricket does not always have the biggest numbers.
Cummins has faced many great players, but these seven names clearly stayed in his memory.
What do you think? Do you agree with Pat Cummins’ picks? Let us know in the comments.
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