Former England skipper Nasser Hussain praised Pat Cummins for his efforts in playing a match-winning knock under huge pressure. England was closing in on victory when Khawaja was bowled by England skipper Ben Stokes for 65 and Alex Carey lost his wicket at 227, Cummins and Nathan Lyon’s 50 runs partnership launched a fightback and sealed victory with Cummins scoring an unbeaten 44.
Nasser Hussain said:
“To be able to hang in there when England played the way they did, Joe Root scooping him and him having to set fields to counteract it, was a mark of him as both a cricketer and character. The criticism he faced for adopting defensive fields, the ability to soak all of that up, and then on the fifth evening come out with 72 runs needed and bat in such a clinical manner was exceptional” Hussain wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“His sense of timing was spot-on, and when England were down on their knees, he pounced with those couple of sixes off Joe Root. When men were placed out for the hook, and they targeted his ribs, he swayed out of the way. He was so cool and calm under immense pressure” Hussain further wrote in his column.