Malcolm Knox has penned a very good column looking into how much Australia will miss Cummins in the early Ashes exchanges.<\/p>\n
Based on when and how he got his overwhelmingly top order wickets against India last summer, the fair conclusion is that he will leave a big hole.<\/p>\n
Knox writes:<\/p>\n
Of Cummins\u2019s 25 wickets, only two were tailenders. He dismissed India\u2019s top scorer four times in nine innings, and put paid to India\u2019s biggest partnership three times.<\/p>\n
In another word: quality. \u201cThe Postman\u201d delivered (actually, better than the post). The first two matches of last summer\u2019s series perhaps best showed Cummins\u2019s value through the colour of contrast. In Perth, despite having claimed Pant and Reddy, India\u2019s top two scorers, in the first innings, Cummins was off his game. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli pounced, and India won. That second innings in Perth was the only time in the series Cummins did not bowl well, and it meant curtains for Australia.<\/p>\n