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'This is amazing': Pat Cummins stuns cricket world with rarest of dismissals

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor

Pat Cummins pulled off one of the rarest dismissals in cricket on Wednesday night in Australia’s T20 victory over Sri Lanka.

It was an unfamiliar sight that Australian cricket fans hope to see plenty more of this summer as Steve Smith and David Warner steered Australia to a lop-sided series victory in Brisbane.

Needing just 118, Smith (53 from 36) and Warner (60 from 41) combined in their first partnership for Australia on home soil since the 2017 Boxing Day Test to get the hosts home with 41 balls and nine wickets to spare.

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Billy Stanlake (2-23 from four overs) set the tone with a rapid spell on his home ground, while Cummins, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa all picked up two wickets as well.

However it was a run-out from Cummins that impressed the most.

Cummins finished off Sri Lanka’s innings by dismissing Lakshan Sandakan after the Sri Lankan tried to rush through for a quick single.

Pat Cummins, pictured here completing the rare run-out against Sri Lanka.
Pat Cummins showed some brilliant innovation. Image: Fox Cricket

A straight-drive from Sandakan hit the stumps at the bowler’s end and knocked the bails off, leaving Cummins with the tricky task of removing one of the stumps while holding the ball in order to complete the run-out.

A quick-thinking Cummins showed his knowledge of the rare rule, taking the stump out of the ground with his right hand after picking up the ball in his left and touching the stump with it.

“This is amazing,” Shane Warne said in commentary.

“The match-awareness, he’s quick to react. And look how quickly he gets the stump out of the ground.

“That was just clever. What can’t he do, Pat Cummins?”

Fans were also in awe.

Aussies in fine form

Aaron Finch's side had crushed Sri Lanka by 134 runs in Adelaide's Twenty20 International series opener on Sunday, with the Gabba victory in front of just 11,986 fans rendering Friday's final clash in Melbourne a dead rubber.

Not even the unplanned emergence of the Gabba outfield's pop-up sprinklers could halt Australia's charge though, Kusal Mendis tamely run-out in the second over before Stanlake's pace caused more headaches.

Smith and Warner then eased the hosts to victory after Finch's first-ball duck, Australia securing the win thanks to a wide.

Warner's knock followed his unbeaten game one century, while Smith just appreciated the chance to have a hit after not being required in Sunday's drubbing.

David Warner and Steve Smith, pictured here after Australia's win over Sri Lanka.
David Warner and Steve Smith starred with the bat. (Photo by PATRICK HAMILTON/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

"It's exciting for us, exciting for the public as well just to watch him play T20 cricket," Stanlake said of Smith after his highest T20 international score on home soil.

"They don't get to see him do that too much; he's an absolute class player, we saw how good he was tonight again."

Stanlake made the most of his call-up with Mitchell Starc granted leave to celebrate his brother's wedding.

The towering quick was regularly clocked above 145kmh as he beat the bat with sheer pace, although opener Dhanushka Gunathilaka did manage an audacious scoop for six.

Sri Lankan assistant coach Rumesh Ratnayake said the team needed to fix their attitude ahead of Sunday's MCG clash.

"Disappointed is too nice a word I think ... I'm gutted really," the veteran of 23 Tests said.

"We're going to rectify it, revisit it in meetings and see what went wrong but it's intent which I feel was not there."

with AAP