Australia’s triumph not only secured the Test series but also established an insurmountable 2-0 lead with one Test remaining.
Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, has acquired a flair for providing memorable replies during news conferences. Whether it’s replying to England’s “moral” Ashes claims, India’s “on paper” labels, or the recent proclamation from Mohammad Hafeez that Pakistan “played better cricket” than Australia, Cummins never fails to deliver intriguing observations.
Despite Pakistan’s 79-run loss in the MCG Test, which was a lot tighter fight compared to the first Test in Perth, Mohammad Hafeez, the team director of Pakistan, maintained that his squad surpassed Australia in this game.
The game was on a knife’s edge as Pakistan chased down 98 runs to win with 5 wickets remaining. But, everything changed when Mohammad Rizwan got out. His wicket sparked a collapse, and Pakistan ended up losing 5 wickets for just 18 runs.
In the press conference, Hafeez said: “We played better cricket as a team. I’m proud of that. The way the team had the courage to attack this game in the best possible way. If I sum up the game, the Pakistan team played better than the other team in general. Our batting intent was better, and while bowling, we were hitting the right areas. Yes, we made some mistakes that cost us the game but as a team I believe that there were a lot of positives, enough to win the game but unfortunately at the end we didn’t win the game.”
During the press conference, a journalist informed Cummins about Hafeez’s opinion that Pakistan was the superior team. The Australian skipper responded with a witty remark, amusing the journalists present.
Replying to Hafeez, Pat Cummins said: “Ahh, cool. It doesn’t really matter, does it? It’s the team that wins at the end.”
The third Test is scheduled for January 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and Australia aims to complete a clean sweep against Pakistan. Additionally, the upcoming match holds sentimental significance as it marks the farewell Test for David Warner. The Australian batsman will bid adieu to the format in front of his hometown crowd in Sydney.
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