Pat Cummins says it is 'pretty satisfying' after leading Australia to victory in Ashes thriller

<p>Australia skipper Pat Cummins was delighted to be on the winning side in an Ashes thriller, four years after going down to an agonising loss at Headingley.</p>

<p>Cummins hit a match-clinching 44 not out during a nerve-jangling final session at Edgbaston, finishing off a chase of 281 in ice-cool fashion during a ninth-wicket stand of 55 with Nathan Lyon.</p>

<p>Both men had been in the thick of the action during another classic finish in 2019, when England skipper Stokes reeled off a heroic century alongside last man Jack Leach.</p>

<p>Lyon, who held firm for 16 not out, botched a run out that would have won that game for Australia and it was Cummins who conceded the winning runs when Stokes pummeled him through the covers.</p>

<p>In the afterglow of a two-wicket victory that will live long in the memory, Cummins embraced the chance to square the ledger.</p>

<p>"Yeah, I would be lying if I said it didn't (cross my mind)," Cummins said.</p>

<p>"We were on the other side of one in the last series here. When you're on the other side it feels like one that's got away and it really hurts.</p>

<p>"It's a really happy dressing room in there. A lot of those guys were there at Headingley and to clinch one that was perhaps out of our grasp for a little while there is pretty satisfying.</p>

<p>"It's about having that belief that anyone is a match-winner, you could be the one to step up and win it. When you're in the backyard playing as a kid you wish to be in these moments, to be here in an Ashes series, that's what you want and it's great to be on the winning side."</p>

<p>Neither side ever felt fully in control of a match that stayed remarkably even across five tightly-wound days, but England were the team who did most to propel things towards an exciting finish.</p>

<p>The combination of a stubborn pitch and time lost to rain would have killed the prospects of a result had the hosts not moved things forward with rapid run-scoring and a risky declaration on day one.</p>

<p>Cummins' men were much more careful throughout and rode their caution all the way to the winning line, leaving a hollow ring to the chants of "boring, boring Aussies" that rang out from the Eric Hollies Stand.</p>

<p>"The fans were pretty noisy out on the hill. Win or lose we are pretty comfortable with how we go about it," he said.</p>

<p>"We've been really good for the last 20 Test matches over two years. Winning is nice. We are at our best when we play at our own pace and tempo.</p>

<p>"We're a stable team, we know what we need to be at our best and we'll keep doing it."</p>

<p>Cummins, whose mother Maria died earlier this year, was seen celebrating with his father Peter on the balcony and signed off with an emotional moment.</p>

<p>"Dad's been here all week, I feel really lucky to have him here because it's been a tough few months," the Australia skipper said.</p>

<p>"Dad was here in 2019 with Mum, so having him here was really special. I went with him to see Bruce Springsteen (at Villa Park) on the first night as well. So, it's been a good week."</p>

<p>The article <a href="https://www.planetsport.com/cricket/news/pat-cummins-says-pretty-satisfying-after-leading-australia-victory-ashes-thriller">Pat Cummins says it is 'pretty satisfying' after leading Australia to victory in Ashes thriller </a> appeared first on Planetsport.com.</p>