‘Couldn’t get it done’; Cummins laments blown opportunities while conceding change is coming for Australia

Pat Cummins has conceded the Australian Test side has to improve if they are reclaim its status as the world’s best team and said it is fair to question whether a personnel change is needed to spark their best this summer.

The Australians let slip a golden chance to clinch a series victory in South Africa when outplayed on the final two days in Cape Town, with their visit to Newlands turning into a nightmare as what shaped as a grandstand finish fizzled out.

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Former Australian opener David Warner was savage in his critique of Australia’s feeble batting on Kayo Sports on the final day as they crumbled for the second time in as many Tests to be all our for 111 when chasing 288 runs to win.

Cummins, when quizzed about the criticism, said; “I don’t even know what to make of that.”

But Warner’s ex-partner at the top of order at the top of the order Usman Khawaja pointed the finger at the inability of the bowlers to pounce on the Proteas when they were in a vulnerable position a day earlier amid heavy criticism of the series loss.

“I think it’s always the case after losing a series and it’s probably fair,” Cummins said.

“You know, we lost two games in a row. I think it’s fair to be asking those questions. So we’ll be asking them internally as well.

“We are a very good side, but I think we need to get a little bit better if we want to get back to number one and where we think we can be. Maybe that’s a change of style. Maybe it’s a change of personnel in some instances. Give us a couple of weeks and (we will) work it out.”

The implications of the loss are immediate, with Australia losing its status as the world No.1 to the Proteas, who are also the reigning World Test Champions who have matured into a formidable team under captain Temba Bavuma.

Sensing vulnerability in the Australians, superstar fast bowler Kagiso Rabada destroyed the tourists hopes when claiming the wickets of Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne in the first over, and soon after Travis Head, in a sizzling spell.

Simon Harmer, who outbowled Australia’s champion off-spinner Nathan Lyon in the Test, ran through the Aussies after that when making full use of the rough outside off-stump. His six wicket haul saw him finish with 10 wickets for the match.

But it is not just the No.1 ranking that is gone. Australia has slipped to third in the race for the WTC Final to be held at The Oval next June and have tricky series against New Zealand and India to come. It shapes as a difficult task to qualify.

Labuschagne, clearly, will return to domestic cricket, though there is no confirmation of that yet. The Australians will let the dust settle. Having been left out of the final Test, Beau Webster also faces questions about his international future as well.

Cummins, meanwhile, noted that with no series in the near future in South Africa, it was most likely the last time that he and his fast bowling mates Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood would have to snare a series win in the country.

“It was one-nil up in the series (and) I think we had some great moments, you know, for two or three days of this Test match,” he said.

“It is probably the last time - I don’t even know when it’s in the future tours (as to when we) would come back here - so I dare say this is our last chance to come over here for a lot of us.

“It’s one opportunity that we’ve been speaking about for a long time to come, to play in a big series like this, and we weren’t good enough.”

The loss raises questions on a number of fronts, from the scenario surrounding Steve Smith on the opening morning to the decision to bowl after winning the toss, the non-selection of Scott Boland and the continued backing of Marnus Labuschagne.

To see the Australians collapse as Smith watched from the sidelines in what shaped as a chance at redemption after the debacle at Cape Town eight years ago exacerbates the disappointment. And it raises queries about communication.

Cummins and co were confident on the eve of the Test that Smith, who underwent a decent fitness session a day out from the match, would be fit to play. But ultimately he pulled out under an hour before the match after an injection in his neck failed.

“I mean, Steve himself was quite confident that he was going to get up,” Cummins said.

“I obviously chat to him a fair bit and, you know, he wanted to give it right to the last minute, but he was feeling relatively good about it. Obviously he had a few hits, so you know, I think we were all really confident.

“We still knew that he needed to pass a fitness test in the morning and it wasn’t a dead certainty but unfortunately he just didn’t feel quite right. He knows his body better than anyone else.

“So I was definitely disappointed, (because) he’s best player in the world, the vice-captain, all those things, but the show goes on. Someone like Josh Inglis was lined up as well in case it happened, so it was all good. We moved on pretty quickly.”

As to winning the toss, his counterpart Temba Bavuma noted the Proteas would have batted had they won the toss and said the pitch at Newlands turned more than he imagined on the final day.

But Cummins said that while it was something to discuss, after a shocking morning, the Aussies bowled South Africa out on the opening day and were in strong positions at stumps on the second and third days.

Questions have been raised about Nathan Lyon, who removed Bavuma in what shaped as a key moment but struggled to take wickets on Day 4 despite bowling tightly, Cummins said he felt the veteran off-spinner bowled well.

“I thought Nate was actually really threatening yesterday and on another day, maybe he gets that breakthrough and then you’re away,” he said.

“A lot of the time, the trend of this match has been that once the batters are in, it is pretty hard to dislodge them. Whereas ... when he got on a bit of a roll, a we just couldn’t kind of stop that.”

What Cummins is concerned about is the fact that having called for the Australians to be ruthless in big moments leading into the series, they were in positions to put the series to bed in both the last two Tests but failed to finish off their rivals.

Although he endured a lean spell himself with the ball after a strong return in Durban, he felt like he was bowling well and it is was notable in Newlands that he was unlucky not to fare better off.

“(It’s) hard to know why. I was really happy with how I bowled and batted in Durban in the first Test,” he said.

“To be honest, I don’t think it changed much really. The last two or three Tests, the ball speed, false shot percentage, all those things stayed relatively similar.

“I’ve had series where I’ve felt a little bit injured or (off with my) technique or whatever, and I haven’t taken wickets and you feel a bit further away from it.

“But I was actually overall generally happy with how I bowled and tried lots of different things on relatively benign wickets, but just couldn’t get it done.”