Pat Cummins sets field perfectly to bait Rizwan, a breakdown
What Happened
In a crucial moment during the third day of the Test match between Australia and Pakistan, Australian captain Pat Cummins demonstrates his tactical prowess. With the Pakistan tail-enders looming, Cummins decides to employ a clever strategy against the set batsman, Mohammad Rizwan, who has scored 42 runs off 50 deliveries. Cummins summons teammate David Warner and instructs him to shift his position from the slip cordon to a more unorthodox spot, almost directly in front of the right-handed Rizwan. The captain then proceeds to bowl a series of deliveries that tempt Rizwan to play at the ball, even though they are slightly wide of the off-stump. Rizwan, determined not to leave any deliveries, keeps defending each one, much to Cummins' delight. As the over progresses, Cummins subtly adjusts his line and length, bowling a fuller delivery that forces Rizwan to reach out and drive the ball. The change in delivery angle and positioning results in Rizwan mistiming his shot, leading to a catch in the fielder's hands placed precisely where Cummins had instructed Warner to stand. The dismissal of the well-set Rizwan is a significant breakthrough for the Australian team, with the tail-enders now exposed. Cummins, who has already taken five wickets in the innings, reflects on his successful tactical move, saying, "Hey, dude. Let's go. Let's try this. You stand right there. Right here? Yeah, right there. I'm going to bowl it and he's going to hit it right there and we're going to get him out." The side-by-side comparison of the two deliveries highlights Cummins' subtle adjustment, with the fuller, more extended delivery resulting in Rizwan's downfall. The captain's ability to read the game, set the field, and execute his plan with precision demonstrates his exceptional leadership and tactical acumen. As the match progresses, Cummins' masterful handling of the situation will undoubtedly play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the Test, solidifying his reputation as one of the premier fast bowlers and captains in the game.
Full Transcript
Click timestamps to jump to that momentThere was a pretty cool tactical moment in the test match
between Australia and Pakistan, day three of the test match.
Cummins brings himself on the ball against Rizwan,
who has seen 50 balls, scored 42 runs.
After him, the tail is left, and he's going to change the field here
to a little bit of an unorthodox field.
And he tells Warner, he says, get out of there.
He doesn't want him at slip anymore.
He wants to move him over to, I don't know what that is, cover,
like right across from the righty batsman.
And he says, yeah.
Warner's like, where do you want me to go?
He's like, ah, right there.
Now I'm going to show you some of the deliveries to Rizwan
before that move that led Cummins to his decision.
That one kind of goes that way on the ground.
That one goes that way on the ground as well.
And, you know, he's not leaving balls.
He's playing every delivery, basically, even though they're off stump.
He's still going after it.
And right there, Hazelwood puts this one pretty far out.
I mean, I think they count the stumps.
So one, two, three, four, five, six or seven stumps, they would say, offside.
And he's still playing.
Trying to put it in play and get runs.
And then he's even playing that one that Hazelwood throws behind him.
So those were the last two deliveries Cummins saw before he came in on the over.
That one, that was way off.
And then the other one, that's lakeside, and he plays.
He said in his interview, he wasn't leaving any balls.
So he tried to set this trap.
So he tells Warner to move from over there.
Hey, get over there and play square to him.
I'm guessing that's what that meant.
Maybe that means something.
Someone can tell me.
And then he's going to change his delivery a little bit to try and bait him in to hitting it that way,
which he had been doing, but doing it in the air.
Oh, there's a cool overview.
There's the overview angle of the fielding position.
So you've got Warner's that little dot right to the side of the batter.
And now Cummins is going to run in and give it a go.
And he's going to make him play it off and hits it right to the fielder.
Warner, he just played this year.
This is where you wanted me.
That's what you wanted.
Good call by the captain Cummins.
Kind of awesome when that works out.
Here's a side-by-side show and the slight difference in delivery that Cummins used to make sure the ball stayed in the air
or tried to get the ball to stay in the air.
He's going to go off stump pretty wide.
So he has to reach out for it.
But he goes, the one on the right is the one that gets the wicket.
And he goes more full.
So it's further down the track, so to speak, which means it's going to hit his bat lower,
which means he's going to get under it, which means it's going to go in the air.
Which means it can get caught.
He's also more extended because it's farther away from his body,
where the one on the left is a little closer and it was a little shorter,
which means it has more time to bounce higher and hit his bat up top,
which allows him to keep it down if he can get on top of it.
But because he went more full and out, he gets under it.
And that's exactly what Cummins wanted, which led to getting the big out.
Pretty insane move to be like, hey, dude.
Let's go.
Let's try this.
You stand right there.
Right here?
Yeah, right there.
I'm going to bowl it and he's going to hit it right there and we're going to get him out.
Fun tactical move by the captain, Cummins, who collected five wickets in this innings.
Pretty awesome.
And Rizwan out.
And he's just like, oh, shit.
Did I fall for something?