In his first match back from injury, Australian captain Pat Cummins delivered a performance that felt both inevitable and decisive, dismantling England’s resistance on the fourth day in Adelaide and steering his side to the brink of an Ashes series victory.
After missing the first two Tests due to a stress fracture, Cummins required no period of adjustment. Stepping back into the attack as if he had never been away, he immediately struck with the new ball, exploiting a docile pitch that had offered little to bowlers throughout much of the match. His deep familiarity with home conditions—ingrained through years of experience—proved invaluable on a surface that demanded precision and subtle skill.
England, set a formidable target of 435, began their chase with cautious intent. However, Cummins’s early intervention removed both openers. He first tempted Ben Duckett into an edge with a perfectly placed delivery, before working over Ollie Pope to secure a second wicket. A stubborn partnership between Joe Root and Zak Crawley then threatened to shift momentum, guiding England to 109 for two and offering a glimmer of hope.
The critical moment arrived in the afternoon session. With the partnership growing, Cummins produced a masterful spell of seam bowling. To Root, a batsman he has dismissed repeatedly in his career, he delivered a ball that seamed away just enough to draw the edge. Root’s frustrated reaction upon being caught behind spoke volumes—the breakthrough had effectively sealed the match.
From that point, England’s challenge faded. Spinner Nathan Lyon capitalized on a wearing pitch, using subtle variations in pace and flight to claim key wickets, including that of Crawley after a determined 85. Yet it was Cummins’s initial burst that had broken the back of the innings, setting the stage for the closing acts.
With only formalities remaining on the final day, Australia stands poised to reclaim the Ashes. Cummins, absent when the series began, has returned as the defining force, demonstrating once again why he is regarded as one of the finest bowlers of his generation.