SYDNEY, Australia — Australia
skipper
Pat Cummins defended his decision to delay a team declaration after
being denied a fourth straight Test win by plucky England in Sydney on Sunday.
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The battered English team defended
desperately in the final overs to cling on for a draw with just one wicket left
— and end Australia's quest for a five-Test series whitewash ahead of this
week's final Hobart match.
The question asked after the gripping finish
to the fourth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground was: Did Cummins, in his
first series as captain, leave his declaration too late on Saturday when
Australia had amassed a massive lead?
Australia declared at 265 for six, leaving
the tourists with a massive 388 runs to win. The best fourth innings winning
chase at the SCG is 288-2 by Australia against South Africa in 2006.
"I wanted about three and a half runs
an over," Cummins told reporters.
"The wicket was still not playing too
many tricks and I thought if they batted really well 350 was pretty achievable
out there.
"I thought 110 overs was enough
time."
In the end, Australia came up just short of
victory after controlling virtually all of the match and again dominating the
tourists.
It was the fifth draw in eight Sydney Tests,
with many impacted by the weather.
Australia have also failed to bowl the
opposition out twice in three of their past six Tests, including the last two
against India last year when there was a draw in Sydney and a loss in Brisbane
that cost Australia the series and a place in the World Test Championship.
"Two of them have been here at the SCG,
where the day five wicket doesn't play like a traditional, broken up day five
wicket," Cummins said.
"In the back of our minds we knew it
may potentially be a bit of a grind out there.
"It's something we can look at. From
this year to last year I think we've made some improvements. We probably stuck
at some plans a little bit longer."
Usman Khawaja's remarkable Player of the
Match performance, with centuries in both innings, ensured Australia were the
only team that could win the match.
"Terrific game, we would have loved to
win but great fight from England," Khawaja said at the post-match
presentation.
"It could have gone either way.
"We've played beautifully to this
point, almost gone 4-0 up.
"Couldn't have asked for much more this
series. Hopefully next game we can win that, then win a few games away. World
Test Championship, everything counts."
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