'Learnt a lot from Tim Southee' - Pat Cummins after making sensational return to KKR playing XI

Pat Cummins made a sensational return to the Kolkata Knight Riders playing XI and delivered a match-winning spell. The right-arm pacer spitted venom with the ball and ran through Mumbai Indians’ potent batting line-up. Cummins dismissed three batters in his quota of four overs and conceded just 22 runs in the process. As a result, MI got bundled out for 113 and eventually lost the contest by 52 runs.

Notably, it was a must-needed win game for KKR to stay alive in the IPL 2022 playoff race. Cummins was among the five changes in KKR’s line-up for the match. He had earlier been benched after several poor outings with the ball. As New Zealand pacer Tim Southee made good use of the opportunities, the KKR team management didn’t turn back to Cummins for a while.

However, after a string of defeats, the Aussie all-rounder was reinstated back in the line-up and the move paid massive dividends. “I probably didn’t bowl as well as I’d have liked to in those first four games,” Cummins admitted in an interview to the KKR website. The 29-year-old further said that he learned a lot from Southee while warming the benches.

Tim Southee has done a fantastic job: Pat Cummins

“Yeah [I was] just a little bit off the mark. And Tim’s done a fantastic job. So yeah, good to get a go tonight. I was preparing, training, getting ready to be called upon if needed. And Umesh’s injury presented a chance. Yeah I didn’t have to try anything hard, [I was] just trying to be a little bit more on the money than I was in the first four games,” said Cummins further.

“I think I’ve played enough to not worry too much about the ups and downs, especially T20 cricket. The last few games on the bench have been a good chance to look at Tim Southee, who has been bowling fantastically well, so learning off someone like him and when I got my chance again just trying to be that little bit more disciplined,” he added.

Meanwhile, KKR have not had the best of campaigns this season as they find themselves in a spot of bother. With five wins in 12 games, the Shreyas Iyer-led side is currently reeling at the seventh place and need to win their remaining two games to stay alive in the playoff race.