Cummins hails pace duo after big win over West Indies
The Australia captain opened up on a stunning bowling display to clinch their opening ICC World Test Championship series 3-0 against West Indies.
Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland wreaked havoc with the pink ball as Australia seized a monumental win over the West Indies at Sabina Park.
It was a milestone-filled outing for Starc in his landmark 100th Test, as he registered the fastest five-wicket haul in Test history in just 15 balls and returned career-best figures of 6/9.
Boland soon joined the party, grabbing a sensational hat-trick to skittle West Indies out for just 27, the second-lowest total in Test history.
Skipper Pat Cummins led the tributes for the pace duo after the series conclusion, which sees Australia keep the top spot in the current ICC World Test Championship Standings.
Lauding Starc’s six-wicket haul, Cummins said, “He was on fire. I think a lot of the chat leading into this week is like how resilient and professional you need to be to play 100 Tests but I think that's the Starcy I always remember playing alongside.
“He can tear a game open by himself in a matter of a couple of overs. Feels like he can do it in any format, any time. That was an amazing effort.”
The left-arm pacer was on target from the get-go, nabbing three wickets in his first over to put Australia in the driving seat.
Meanwhile, Scott Boland would clinch a hat-trick - the first-ever in a pink-ball Test - as Australia clinched a 176-run win in Kingston, Jamaica.
“We were just saying how it was just celebrating like a normal wicket but it was a hat-trick,” Cummins said on Boland’s feat.
“I mean, it was just awesome. Scotty just seems to get on a heater every now and then. We all love Scotty, so pumped for him.”
While the 3-0 scoreline highlights Australia’s dominance in their first Test assignment since the WTC Final at Lord’s, Cummins believes the series was more evenly contested.
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“It feels like every game has been fairly tight and then we've just managed to get away from them in the end.
“It's been pretty tight for the most part. We turned up to quite a few days and knew we needed a partnership and we've always managed to find a partnership or get a breakthrough.
“Even this morning, I thought, you can get on the wrong side of the conditions here. Suddenly they're batting and I thought the wickets getting flatter and 200 might be chaseable.
“Little bit hard to make how they went but I thought for the most part we bowled and played pretty well.”
Australia, who sit atop the WTC Standings with three wins from as many fixtures, are scheduled to host England later this year for a five-match Ashes series.