'There's no reason': How baffling Cummins call almost came back to ...

The world is all asking the same question of Pat Cummins after Australia’s thrilling win over South Africa in Friday morning’s World Cup semi-final.

How on Earth did Josh Hazlewood get overlooked as the Proteas fought their way back into the match?

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Cummins’ is rightly getting plenty of praise for his cool-headed lower order runs as he got his side home for a three-wicket victorywith 16 balls to spare.

The chase of South Africa’s total of 212 was more difficult than it looked on paper — and Cummins has come under fire for letting South Africa sneak back into the contest after appearing dead and buried at 4/24.

Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc tore through South Africa’s top order and Hazlewood bowled through eight consecutive overs to be 2/12 from his 48 deliveries.

According to AAP cricket reporter Scott Bailey, Hazlewood’s figures were the most economical from an Australian bowler (to have bowled a minimum of eight overs) since Nathan Bracken took 2-11 off eight overs against Sri Lanka 17 years ago.

Despite this, Hazlewood was never handed the ball again.

Josh Hazlewood was as hot as a pistol. Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP.Source: AFP

To compound the criticism directed towards Cummins, Aussie spinner Adam Zampa also bowled seven overs despite having been hit out of the attack by David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen. The leg-spinner finished with 0/55 from seven overs.

Cummins has repeatedly cut Hazlewood short of bowling out 10 overs throughout the tournament — but Hazlewood’s deadly start to the innings surely should have prompted a change in those tactics, at least in the eyes of plenty of witnesses.

“Josh Hazlewood has been ridiculously good this afternoon,” former Zimbabwe cricketer Pommie Mbangwa said in commentary as Hazlewood dismissed Quinton de Kock.

It was Zampa bowling in the middle overs when Miller and Klaasen resurrected South Africa’s innings with Miller scoring a brilliant 101 off 116 balls. After coming to the crease at 4/24, his innings is the highest score from a No. 6 batter or below against Australia at a World Cup.

Inexplicably to many, Zampa was brought back into the attack for two late overs — when Cummins still had Hazlewood standing there.

Former Test captain Ricky Ponting and all-rounder Shane Watson were both surprised by the tactics when speaking on the TV broadcast.

Adam Zampa had no answers to David Miller. Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP.Source: AFP

“Sometimes as a batter, you would wish you could have a conversation with the opposition captain to say, ‘Please keep bowling that bowler’, Very often it doesn’t happen,” Watson said.

“But this is the moment he will try to capitalise on with Zampa staying in.”

Ponting said: “I think that might be Zampa done, though, while Miller is at the crease.

“I am surprised to see him go back to Zampa for that last over. You can see that Miller is sitting and waiting for Zampa to come on.”

Veteran cricket stats guru Ric Finlay posted on Twitter: “Hazlewood not bowling out puzzled me too”.

Bailey posted: “Yeah I find it very strange they didn’t finish his overs after his maidens following the rain delay if he wasn’t going to bowl at the death”.

Cricket commentator Viren Hemrajani wrote: “There’s no reason to not complete Hazlewood’s quota. Should have been done earlier if he was hesitant to use him in the death”.

One cricket fan wrote: “Hoffy has 2-12 off 8 overs yet Cummins didn’t bowl him out. Bizarre captaincy. Ridiculous”.

In the end it mattered little as Cummins got Australia over the line.

Travis Head was named man of the match after taking 2/21 with the ball and scoring 62 with the bat.

Asked about the nerves after the match, he said: “It’s hard to unpack all that.

“Hoff (Josh Hazlewood) was sitting next to me in the sheds and didn’t move for the last couple of hours. Tense finish, amazing game but hard to unpack it all.”

For South Africa, it was just heartbreak.

“It’s quite hard to put it into words,” South African captain Temba Bavuma said.

“Our character came through. We showed the resilience we talk about and a bit of dogfight. The way we started with the bat and ball was the turning point, we always had to play catch-up.”