London, June 12 (IANS) On reaching the landmark milestone of 300 Test wickets in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship final, Australia skipper Pat Cummins expressed overwhelming joy, saying it’s way more than he could have ever asked for.

Right-arm fast-bowler Cummins brought up his 14th five-wicket haul on the way to picking a sensational 6-28 to help bundle out South Africa for 138 in 57.1 overs on day two’s play at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground on Thursday. In the process, Cummins has also become just the eighth bowler from Australia to have taken more than 300 Test scalps.

“It’s way more than I could have asked for. Three hundred is a really big number and I have battled a few injuries and niggles and got through and played well in different conditions, so I am pretty happy,” Cummins was quoted as saying by ICC.

Cummins also became the first fast-bowling captain since 1982 to take a five-wicket haul at Lord’s. Overall in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, Cummins has picked 79 wickets at an average of 23.03. He also felt conditions were offering help for both batters and bowlers.

“When the ball got a little bit softer, there wasn’t too much in it, but it feels like the odd ball is nipping a little bit. It feels like if you bowl well, it is tough to score runs, so there is a bit in it for both (batters and bowlers),” he added.

Due to Cummins’ efforts, Australia took a 74-run first-innings lead, and they now remain in the box seat to defeat South Africa and retain the World Test Championship title they won in 2023 after beating India by 209 runs at The Oval.

–IANS

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