Pat Cummins becomes second captain to complete 150 Test wickets
What's the story
Australia's captain Pat Cummins has achieved a major milestone, becoming only the second captain to complete 150 wickets in Test cricket. He has joined former Pakistan fast bowler Imran Khan, who took 187 wickets as a skipper. Cummins achieved this landmark during the ongoing third Ashes Test against England at the Adelaide Oval. He took three wickets on Day 4, taking his tally of 151 wickets as captain. Here are the key stats.
Match performance
Cummins's impressive performance in the 3rd Ashes Test
Cummins has made a strong comeback after missing the first two matches. He picked up three wickets in England's first innings as the Brits were folded for 286 while responding to Australia's first innings score of 371/10. The pacer then claimed each of England's first three wickets in the fourth innings, reducing them to 109/3 in a chase of 435 runs. The likes of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, and Joe Root were his victims on Day 4.
Tally
Cummins only second to Imran Khan
Cummins, who claimed 3/69 in the second innings, finished Day 4 with 3/23 from 10 overs. Playing his 38th Test as captain, the pacer has raced to 151 wickets at a sensational average of 22-plus. This includes nine five-wicket hauls and a four-fer. While Imran leads this list with 187 scalps, Cummins's compatriot Richie Benaud (138) is the only otherbowler with 120-plus Test scalps as captain.
Milestone achievement
Cummins surpasses Mitchell Johnson's record
Cummins's achievement also saw him surpass legendary pacer Mitchell Johnson as the bowler with the sixth-most wickets for Australia in Tests. The Australian captain now has 315 wickets in Test cricket, two more than Johnson's tally of 313. Notably, this is Cummins's 72nd Test match while Johnson played 73 matches from 2007 to 2015. The former averages around 22 in the format as his tally includes 14 fifers (10W: 2).
Dismissing record
Cummins's record against Joe Root
Cummins has also dismissed England's Joe Root for a record-breaking 13th time in Test cricket. No other bowler even owns 12 such dismissals. Overall, he has removed Root 16 times across international cricket, surpassing Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who has dismissed the English batter 15 times in all three formats. This further cements Cummins's place among the elite bowlers of his generation.
Information
100 Ashes wickets loading for Cummins
In the Ashes, Cummins has raced to a tally of 97 wickets from 20 matches at an average of 23.57. This includes two fifers. Meanwhile, 183 of Cummins's scalps have come Down Under at 19.78.