Man for crisis Cummins delivers again with the bat

Australia captain Pat Cummins has added to his growing list of match-defining innings with the highest score of his Test career in Brisbane.

Coming to the crease in the second NRMA Insurance Test match at 7-161 with the Aussies trailing West Indies by 150 runs, Cummins had to ward off a barrage of short-pitched bowling early in his innings to finish with an unbeaten 64.

In the past eight months alone Cummins has delivered handsomely with the bat now on five occasions, and all have required a vastly different approach.

The captain's notable knocks include scoring 38 and 44 not out in Australia's thrilling two-wicket win in the first Ashes Test followed by three vital contributions at the successful ODI World Cup in India.

He hit four sixes in his 14-ball 37 against New Zealand in Dharamsala, a match Australia won by the skin of their teeth in the final over.

He famously added 12 in the unbroken 202-run stand with Glenn Maxwell against Afghanistan in Mumbai, a record for that wicket in ODI history.

And his 14no in the semi final against South Africa can't be overlooked as he guided his side home in tricky conditions and against a fired-up attack in Kolkata.

The situation in Brisbane on Friday looked equally iffy as Cummins strode out at seven wickets down following the quick wickets of Alex Carey (65) and Mitch Starc (2) with Australia only just past the halfway mark of the Windies' first-innings total.

Both Josephs – Alzarri and Shamar – were quick to fire in the bouncers at Cummins and it was a 142kph short one from the older of the quicks that floored the Aussie captain from just the ninth delivery he'd faced.

Knowing the ball wouldn't be in his half of the pitch too often, Cummins has content to stay leg side of the ball and managed to cut and prod a string of valuable boundaries to the third man/backward point boundary.

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who witnessed all of the aforementioned innings, said his skipper had reached new heights with his 73-ball innings on Friday.

"Amazing cricketer, isn't he?" Carey told reporters after play on day two. 

"I think that's probably the best I've seen him bat.

"There's probably other innings he's played, like the Ashes was a good one.

"(It was) a bit of a counterpunch as well, he got bombarded early with some short stuff and then found a way through and was able to play some really good shots.

"For Starcy (Mitch Starc), Patty (Cummins) and Gaz (Nathan Lyon) to stick around with Uzzie for as long as they did was a great effort."

After Carey was dismissed with the score on 150, it was a mighty effort for Australia to reach a position where they could declare, 139 runs later.

With a desire to bowl under lights, it was Cummins who accelerated his innings with an hour's play left in the day.

A powerful cover drive off the debutant spinner Kevin Sinclair brought up Cummins' first Test fifty since 2018, and it was shortly followed by perhaps the shot of the match.

Facing veteran quick Kemar Roach, who had had a fine day with the ball, Cummins cleared his front leg and smashed a fullish delivery high and long over wide mid off, landing 10 rows deep in the crowd.

Cummins is the man Australia rely on when they need a wicket with the ball. Now he's quickly becoming the man for a crisis with the bat.

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Second Test: January 25-29, Gabba (3pm AEDT)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie