Ashes: Pat Cummins' great gesture towards Usman Khawaja wins hearts

Australia defeated England in the fifth and final Test at Hobart by a convincing 146 runs to win the Ashes 2021/22 series 4-0. Chasing a tricky score of 271, the visitors lost the plot after getting off to a good start. After winning the Test match and the series, it was party time for the Aussies. However, it was skipper Pat Cummins' kind gesture to team-mate Usman Khawaja that stood out the most.

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The Australian players were celebrating with the trophy and the Ashes 'urn' on the podium by spraying champagne and suddenly, captain Pat Cummins asked them to stop their celebrations and called Usman Khawaja to join them. Khawaja being a Muslim stood away from the celebrations by isolating himself so that he did not affiliate himself with any alcohol. Nonetheless, when Cummins urged his team to not spray champagne anymore and called Khawaja, the southpaw obliged by joining them on the podium for celebrations.

Pat Cummins was lauded by passionate cricket fans for his kind gesture. Here are some of the reactions.

This might be a small gesture but this is what makes Pat Cummins great. He realised Khawaja had to dip because of the booze and rectifies it. pic.twitter.com/GNVsPGJhfK

— Fux League (@buttsey888) January 16, 2022

Pat Cummins asking his teammates to stop throwing alcohol around so that Usman Khawaja can join in because of his beliefs ❤️

That's sweet. pic.twitter.com/nzzjt92jYv

— Shivani Shukla (@iShivani_Shukla) January 16, 2022

One more reason to love the guy❤❤

— harshit (@harshitsjvk) January 16, 2022

As far as the contest is concerned, the English bowlers bowled exceptionally well to bundle Australia out for 155 in their second innings, with Mark Wood picking 6 wickets. In reply, the visitors seemed comfortable while chasing a manageable target of 271 runs, with openers Rory Burns (26) and Zak Crawley (36), adding 68 runs for the opening stand. But, once both set openers were dismissed, the Aussie bowlers staged a dramatic turnaround as England lost their remaining wickets by adding just 56 runs to be bundled out for 124. Skipper Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, and, Cameron Green worked in tandem to register three wickets each. Cummins cleaned up last man Ollie Robinson to finish the Ashes series.