
Australian Captain Pat Cummins Praises Team's Dream Start to New WTC Cycle
Australian skipper Pat Cummins expressed his delight at the start his side has made in the new WTC cycle. Australia, who made it to the finals of the WTC Final on the last two occasions, have now won their opening two Tests of this fresh cycle.
Cummins praised the team's performance, saying "It's been a good couple of weeks. Dream start really, two from two, gets us into the cycle and yeah, played some really good cricket."
Cummins Credits Experienced Players
Cummins also reserved praise for the experienced players in his side, particularly singling out Steve Smith who hit a vital half-century to rescue his side out of trouble in the second innings.
"Experience is a big part of it," Cummins pointed out. "He might not have played at Grenada, but he's played on lots of wickets where you've got to find a different way to score. It might not be big drives down the ground or whatever it is, you've got to scrap your way to a 50, and I think that comes through experience."
Support for Young Opener Sam Konstas
The 32-year-old also threw his weight behind young opener Sam Konstas who has struggled to make an impact in the series.
"Every innings feels like the biggest thing in the world," he said on Konstas. "But I think the stat is, even the best batters in the world don't hit their average three out of four times or something like that. You're going to fail more often than you're going to succeed."
West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite Under Fire
Another opener who has been under fire in the series is West Indies' former captain Kraigg Brathwaite. His recent scores have prompted head coach Daren Sammy to ponder his future for the next game.
"He hasn't looked good this series, and in a team where you are searching for performances, you get very close to say 'okay, do we give somebody else a chance?'" Sammy said.
Concerns Over Caribbean Pitches
However, Sammy has also conceded that pitches in the Caribbean need a change if they are to produce better batters in Test cricket.
"It's hard to produce the quality of batters that we want to compete," he noted. "When you look at the surfaces that we play on, it's hard."