Cummins whacked over 'fearful' Ashes call

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Former England opener David Lloyd says Pat Cummins was "almost fearful" with his "very negative" declaration connected time 4 of the 4th Ashes Test astatine the SCG.

The lucifer finished successful a draw with England 9 wickets down, putting an extremity to Australia's hopes of a 5-0 bid whitewash.

Cummins waited until precocious connected the 4th evening to state the location side's 2nd innings, leaving the tourists with an improbable people of 388 for victory.

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The Australian skipper said aft the lucifer helium wanted to acceptable England a people of astir 3 and a fractional runs per over, noting the transportation was inactive playing well.

"I thought if they batted truly good 350 was beauteous achievable retired there," helium said aft the match.

"I thought 110 overs was capable time."

It's the 2nd twelvemonth successful a enactment that Australia has failed to vessel a broadside retired connected the last time successful Sydney, aft India held connected for a gully successful 2021.

Writing successful the Daily Mail, Lloyd said Cummins showed excessively overmuch respect for the tourists, who person struggled each series.

"England stopped the Ashes bleeding and enactment a plaster connected their wounds but the information is they were ne'er successful the crippled astatine immoderate stage," helium wrote.

"Certainly they were ne'er successful with a accidental of winning it. But it was a warring effort and it was overmuch amended from England aft being perfectly spannered successful the archetypal 3 Tests.

"But that was a precise antagonistic declaration connected the 4th evening from Australia. Pat Cummins could easy person dangled a carrot successful beforehand of England. It was astir fearful! But they person dominated astir each league passim the series."

Writing successful the Times, erstwhile England skipper Mike Atherton said the imaginable of avoiding a 5-0 hammering wouldn't erase the memories of what's been a disastrous series.

"So the whitewash volition beryllium avoided, which is simply a tiny mercy to instrumentality from a horrible tour," helium said.

"Few observers who person followed the England cricket squad implicit the past 2 years expected thing different than defeat, for definite … Yet it was hoped that England mightiness propulsion a fewer punches, metaphorically speaking, that they could play with tone and courageousness and find a mode of taking the crippled to Australia from clip to time.

"Only successful Sydney, 4 matches into the series, has that happened, which is the existent indictment of this squad and its leadership: they person made a bully Australia squad look overmuch amended than they are."

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