“Surely you could have said “mate, you’ve got 5 overs” – even 1 over! And given him a chance”, Twitter reacts after Australia declares the innings with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 195

Although Australia won the ongoing Test series against South Africa, they did not take the risk and hence, declared the innings with Usman Khawaja just five runs short of his maiden double-century. Here, we take a look at how Twitter reacted after Australia declares the innings with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 195.

Australia declares the innings with Usman Khawaja unbeaten on 195

With the series already in the bag, Australia could have used the last Test to build more confidence for the team ahead of the tour of India. Usman Khawaja is a good player of spin and was fantastic when the Aussies played in Pakistan in 2022. Hence, he was going to be important for the squad. Khawaja did well in the third Test, almost getting close to a double century, a feat he never achieved before. However, Pat Cummins declared the Aussie innings at 475 with five wickets and plenty of time left in the game. Even one more over would have been enough for Khawaja to get to that coveted feat.

Nevertheless, it is not expected that teams should play according to the milestones of individual players. That said, with nothing much to lose and with the margin being very close, surely, Pat Cummins could have extended his team’s batting innings for a few more deliveries.

Twitter reacts to Pat Cummins’ decision

In his short captaincy career, Pat Cummins has already seen a lot of controversies. The first one was regarding Head Coach Justin Langer. The former Aussie cricketer quit the post after the previous Ashes. Now, Cummins has taken a debatable decision, which has already triggered the ire of the fans. With some important tournaments coming up, Cummins will have to take some tough calls. On the other side, it is difficult to imagine that Cummins would have made the call without informing Khawaja. Here is how Twitter reacted to the event:

Lol the series is already won. Why on earth would you declare before Khawaja gets his double ton?😂 if you think you can bowl South Africa out in 2 days then I’m pretty sure 10-30 mins won’t make a massive difference anyways 😂 #AUSvSA

— Lukhanyo Am Stan Account (@GoTeamGoSports1) January 6, 2023

Oof. Super harsh. Surely you could have said "mate, you've got 5 overs" – even 1 over! And given him a chance!
Ouch! #AUSvsRSA #Khawaja

Pat Cummins under fire as Usman Khawaja call divides cricket world https://t.co/mHnZUnEdBe

— Jane-Elise Cherry (@jecherry_SP) January 7, 2023

Pat Cummins should be sacked. How ridiculous to declare with a guy on 195. That’s utter rubbish and it’s Un-Australian!!! No point watching now. Snoozefest. #AUSvRSA

— Dylan Skinner (@skindogz95) January 7, 2023

Declaring when the people’s champion is 195* is not the way to win back the hearts and minds of the Australian public.

— Pickles (@swollenpickles) January 7, 2023

Rahul Dravid now 👇 https://t.co/iKx5uPawFZ pic.twitter.com/MTOCDOA5do

— Navaneetha Krishnan (@A_Failed_Man) January 7, 2023

That’s a terrible call

— Kristoff Samm (@kristoffsamm) January 7, 2023

Lmaoooo 😂😂😂😂 Cummins did him dirty https://t.co/rCoUibQqQA

— Stringer Bell (@za8824) January 7, 2023