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Then there’s Steve Smith, now convalescing with a badly damaged right little finger. Before the final, Smith expressed newfound enthusiasm to keep going. But the finger problem will likely put him out of the Test side for at least one game in the West Indies, before the next two years test his resolve: Virat Kohli just retired at 36, Smith’s age now.
Speaking in the aftermath of defeat, Cummins was open about the fact that a “reset” was coming for his team, using the word more than once. The fact that one is needed was underlined by how he identified the batting lineup’s failure to take the game away from South Africa on days two and three, a recurring issue.
“That first innings lead was really important,” Cummins said. “I think that’s an opportunity where you can kind of bat the opposition out of the game and put on well over 300-plus. You know the longer you drag it out maybe the conditions help you out a bit more but we didn’t really give ourselves you know big enough of a buffer there and let them back into the game.
Usman Khawaja congratulates Aiden Markram.Credit: Getty Images
“Losing the toss on day one and being sent into bat is never going to be easy for the top three. But yeah, I think there’s probably quite a few people in the line-up that kind of wish they could have done a little bit more and the top three was an obvious one in this game.”
Cummins remained particularly supportive of Khawaja, given his contributions to the team over the past three years, but the combinations around the opener will have to be reassessed. Cameron Green was not sharp enough for number three, and Labuschagne’s struggles over several years were not ended by a promotion to open.
“It does feel like a little bit of a fresh start,” Cummins said. “Do we feel like now’s the right time to change or do you hold with the team that got us to the final? I think we’ve got a couple of weeks before the first test of the Windies so I think we’ll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game.
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“But for me I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset. Coming to this match you’ve got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland, Josh Inglis all those guys who are right on the fringes so I think again after this Test match everyone gets thrown back into the conversation and it’s a little bit of a reset for that first Test.”
The bottom line for Australia at Lord’s is that no team can be 4-67 and then 7-73 in their two innings and expect to win a Test match. It will be galling for Cummins and company that a team as modestly resourced as South Africa was able to find a better level of top order productivity, personified by Markram’s class and Bavuma’s grit.
And Cummins left little doubt that as far as he is concerned, the time to press the reset button is now.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
Then there’s Steve Smith, now convalescing with a badly damaged right little finger. Before the final, Smith expressed newfound enthusiasm to keep going. But the finger problem will likely put him out of the Test side for at least one game in the West Indies, before the next two years test his resolve: Virat Kohli just retired at 36, Smith’s age now.
Speaking in the aftermath of defeat, Cummins was open about the fact that a “reset” was coming for his team, using the word more than once. The fact that one is needed was underlined by how he identified the batting lineup’s failure to take the game away from South Africa on days two and three, a recurring issue.
“That first innings lead was really important,” Cummins said. “I think that’s an opportunity where you can kind of bat the opposition out of the game and put on well over 300-plus. You know the longer you drag it out maybe the conditions help you out a bit more but we didn’t really give ourselves you know big enough of a buffer there and let them back into the game.
Usman Khawaja congratulates Aiden Markram.Credit: Getty Images
“Losing the toss on day one and being sent into bat is never going to be easy for the top three. But yeah, I think there’s probably quite a few people in the line-up that kind of wish they could have done a little bit more and the top three was an obvious one in this game.”
Cummins remained particularly supportive of Khawaja, given his contributions to the team over the past three years, but the combinations around the opener will have to be reassessed. Cameron Green was not sharp enough for number three, and Labuschagne’s struggles over several years were not ended by a promotion to open.
“It does feel like a little bit of a fresh start,” Cummins said. “Do we feel like now’s the right time to change or do you hold with the team that got us to the final? I think we’ve got a couple of weeks before the first test of the Windies so I think we’ll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game.
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“But for me I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset. Coming to this match you’ve got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland, Josh Inglis all those guys who are right on the fringes so I think again after this Test match everyone gets thrown back into the conversation and it’s a little bit of a reset for that first Test.”
The bottom line for Australia at Lord’s is that no team can be 4-67 and then 7-73 in their two innings and expect to win a Test match. It will be galling for Cummins and company that a team as modestly resourced as South Africa was able to find a better level of top order productivity, personified by Markram’s class and Bavuma’s grit.
And Cummins left little doubt that as far as he is concerned, the time to press the reset button is now.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
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