London: Australia captain Pat Cummins etched his name into cricketing history with a sensational six-wicket haul on day two of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 against South Africa at Lord’s. His figures of 6 for 28 not only helped bowl South Africa out for 138 but also marked a series of personal and team milestones.
Cummins became the eighth Australian to take 300 Test wickets, joining an elite list that includes Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Mitchell Starc. His performance also made him the first captain to claim a five-wicket haul in an ICC final and set the record for the best bowling figures by a captain at Lord’s.
His devastating spell ensured Australia gained a 74-run lead in the first innings, reinforcing their dominance in the final. The spell also meant, for the first time in Test cricket history, a bowling attack featured three players with 300+ wickets—Cummins joining teammates Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon. Josh Hazlewood trails just behind with 280.
“It’s great, and I’ve got some family here, which is nice,” Cummins said at the innings break. “It’s way more than I could have asked for. For any fast bowler 300 is a big number, means you’ve battled a few injuries and niggles, got through it and played well in different conditions.”
Reflecting further after the day’s play, he added, “I’ve had a really good run the last half a dozen years or so of not missing too many games. For the first few years, I didn’t know where my second Test was coming, so I still feel like I’ve got lots of miles in the legs.”
He also acknowledged the support behind his comeback:
“The medical staff, I really need to thank, the way they looked after me in the early years and continually to get through a Test match, the way they manage the fast bowlers, a lot of that is a nod to them as well.”
Cummins claimed five wickets on the second day, having already dismissed Wiaan Mulder the previous evening. His spell included a clinical burst after lunch where he took 4 wickets for just 4 runs in 4.1 overs. His 300th wicket came with the dismissal of Kagiso Rabada, brilliantly caught at deep square leg.
The right-arm pacer is now the fifth-fastest to 300 Test wickets in terms of balls bowled (13,725), narrowly ahead of West Indian legend Malcolm Marshall. He also boasts the best strike rate among Australian seamers to reach this milestone.
Cummins, who debuted in 2011, returned to Test cricket in 2017 after a six-year injury hiatus. Since then, he has been a consistent match-winner for Australia, especially in Tests they have won—184 of his wickets have come in victories. His average in winning causes (18.09) is unmatched among Australian quicks.
Adding to his captaincy credentials, Cummins now has 136 wickets as Test captain, only behind Pakistan’s Imran Khan among pace-bowling leaders and second to Richie Benaud among Australians.
He also leads in most wickets in ICC finals, surpassing Mitchell Starc, and has overtaken Jasprit Bumrah for most wickets in the ongoing WTC 2023-25 cycle with 79 wickets.