After Australia vs India series of 2018/19, Pat Cummins' returns with the bat began to taper off.
If there is one line you need to describe Pat Cummins, it is that he is the number 1 ranked ICC test bowler in the world. Cummins gets the batsmen hopping with his pace, and his consistency means that he is at the batter more often than not. As a batsman, you have to be at the top of your game to even survive against him.
Be it the new ball or the old one, Cummins is equally adept at making the most of the conditions on offer. Even if the pitch is completely flat, if there is one bowler you can count on to make things happen, it is Pat Cummins.
Apart from the contribution he makes with the ball, he also does his bit to help the team with his batting.
Cummins' batting average and balls per dismissal till India series 2018/19: 21.12 (29 innings); 52.1 balls per dismissal
Pat Cummins has an average of 16.14 in test cricket which is quite good for a number 8 batsman. The technique he possesses against both spin and pace makes you bank on him as a number 8.
Cummins' first half-century came against South Africa in Johannesburg in March 2018. In the tricky conditions, he hung around and tried to rebuild the innings.
His batting really came to the fore in the series against India. The most he scored in one test match in the series in 2018/19 was his 63 in the second innings at Melbourne. Other than that, he made short but significant contributions of 10, 28, 19 and 25.
Cummins' batting average and balls per dismissal since India series 2018/19: 9.38 (18 innings); 32.3 balls per dismissal
Since this series against India, apart from the two test matches against Sri Lanka, Cummins had to face some seriously good bowling during Ashes 2019. The highest he could score in the series was 26, which came in the first match of the series itself.
It is understandable that he could not make the most of his batting talent in the challenging conditions of England. When Pakistan and New Zealand came to the Australian shores, it was the top-order batsmen who did the bulk of the scoring. If and when Cummins got a chance, he tried to score as quickly as possible which did not come off.
Following failures in the recent test series against India as well, his average and balls faced per dismissal have dipped sharply.
