Matthew Hayden thinks Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc might be Australia’s best pace attack ever. He even says they could outshine the great trio of Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie who dominated for years. This after Australia’s impressive display on Day 2 of the World Test Championship final against South Africa where those three bowlers really stepped up after a shaky batting effort. Cummins took 6 wickets, Starc got the openers Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton while Hazlewood bowled out the dangerous Tristan Stubbs.
Hayden said, “These guys might just be Australia’s best pace bowlers ever since they’ve played together more than the previous legends. And with Nathan Lyon in there, it’s a pretty good team.” He noted Australia did well to stay ahead despite South Africa putting up a good fight. It’s been a cracking Test match and there’s more to come on Day 3.
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He praised Cummins, “He does everything right—he consistently challenges batters and despite being out with injuries for a while he’s still got over 300 Test wickets. That’s amazing.”
As Australia lead by 218 runs, Hayden also reflected on the batting from both sides. “After Day 2 we’ve seen the same number of wickets fall in two days. The batters look a bit rusty, struggling with their footwork because of lateral movement. Bowlers have been in control of this game.
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There hasn’t been a single century partnership yet which could matter a lot in the 4th innings. Even if Australia gets a good lead South Africa will need big partnerships to stay in the game. Interestingly more wickets have fallen in sunny conditions than overcast. That shows it’s more about the batters being out of form than the bowlers.”
