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This is an archive article published on December 29, 2023

‘Cool, they played well… doesn’t really matter, does it?’: Pat Cummins on Hafeez’s opinion that Pakistan played better

"It doesn’t really matter, does it? It is the team who wins at the end,” Pat Cummins said in response to Mohammad Hafeez's 'Pakistan team played better than the other team' comment.

PAK AUSAustralia's Pat Cummins, right, hold up the ball after taking 5 wickets against Pakistan during the fourth day of their cricket test match in Melbourne, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)

Australia on Friday defeated Pakistan in the second Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to go 2-0 up in the ongoing Test series. However, the victory has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Mohammad Rizwan’s dismissal with Pakistan’s team director Mohammad Hafeez slamming the officiating and saying that the visitors played better ‘than the other team.”

“The whole game I will sum up, our Pakistan team played better than the other team in general,” Hafeez said in a press conference after the match.

Australian skipper Pat Cummins in response did not have much to say about the claim, letting out a small laugh. “Ahhhh. Cool. They played well. I am glad we got the win. It doesn’t really matter, does it? It is the team who wins at the end,” the captain said with a smile as per news.com.au.

Coming to the Rizwan dismissal, chasing 318 runs, Pakistan were well in the game at 219-5 when Rizwan, batting on 35, tried to leave a short ball. The ball hit him on the lower right arm and carried to wicket-keeper Alex Carey, and the Australians appealed.

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Michael Gough’s on-field umpire did not give it out, and Cummins challenged the decision and sent it upstairs. Third umpire Richard Illingworth referred to the spike on ultra edge as the ball passed Rizwan’s wristband, and Illingworth asked Gough to overturn his original decision of not out. Noticeably, there was no mark on the hotspot as the ball passed Rizwan.

The Pakistan keeper-batter was unhappy with the decision and suggested that the ball had brushed his forearm instead of the wristband, and with the wicket, the Australian skipper picked up his 250th Test match wicket.

Australia won the first test in Perth by 360 runs. The third test in the three-match series is scheduled to begin Jan. 3 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where Pakistan won its last test in Australia in 1995.

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