Pat Cummins’ determination to show Australia a $1.3 MILLION IPL deal has paid off in a big way
Pat Cummins’ $1.3 million IPL sacrifice for Australia has already paid off as he worked on his batting behind the well-known Edgbaston Test win.
Cummins made the decision last summer to forgo a huge payday and skip this 12 months of the IPL, citing workload issues, in a determination not to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
That time was spent as a substitute in Australia, where Cummins really focused on his percussion in several lessons with renowned coach Trent Woodhill.
The difference was evident in Australia’s thrilling two-wicket win in the final week of the first Ashes Test.
Cummins’ batting had become so problematic of late that he had slipped to 9th at an average of 12.55 as 2019-20 began. summer time of the year.
Pat Cummins has revealed he has turned down a $1.3 million deal to play in the IPL to focus on Test cricket and improve his batting in the Ashes.
Cummins scored 44 at Edgbaston to win the Test
Edgbaston, Cummins hit his two highest scores in almost 5 years with 38 in the first innings and a well-known 44 to win the match for Australia.
“I spent a lot of sessions with Trent Woodhill in April and May,” Cummins mentioned.
“Over the last few years I’ve found switching codecs cumbersome. I actually feel my T20 batting has gotten quite a bit higher, probably at the expense of time-testing pace.
“At the beginning of my Test cricket career, like 2017 or 2018, I felt good in Test cricket but I felt like I couldn’t really take it off the field.”
Cummins now hopes to have established consistency between his batting in white-ball matches and the Tests batsman in the second Ashes clash at Lord’s starting on Wednesday.
“In T20, your defense might not be that good. The cue ball is not moving, you are trying to score points. But it comes at the expense of your defense.
“Test cricket is the opposite. I’m working really hard on the front foot block, but I can’t really score. It’s about finding a good balance between stillness and movement.
Nathan Lyon has also been working hard on his batting with his brother Brendan, a level three certified Cricket Australia coach.
Cummins and Nathan Lyon (left) put on a match-winning partnership of 55 runs as Australia won the Ashes Test by two wickets at Edgbaston.
Cummins wanted to work on his batting after his average was just above 12
Lyon also worked on his batting, surviving 28 balls from Edgbaston in Australia’s chase.
England tried to hit the bat in their winning 55-run unbeaten partnership with Cummins, but Lyon lasted 28 balls to score a crucial 16 runs.
“I’m not really into hitting, but I’m trying to get better,” Lyons said.
‘I work a lot with my brother. It’s about getting into really good positions and trying to play for your side in the group.
“Whether it’s holding back and blasting for a long time or playing, it’s just about making sure my role is very clear.”
