
The terrific athletic run-out of Cheteshwar Pujara by Pat Cummins in the final moments of day one of the first Test between India and Australia had the cricket world on Thursday gushing, such was the fast bowler’s brilliance.
Having bowled 19 overs in hot conditions at Adelaide Oval, which included the major prize of India captain Virat Kohli for the second time in Tests, Cummins ended Pujara’s innings with a stunning throw from mid-on while airborne hitting the nonstriker’s stumps as the batsman attempted a risky single to keep strike.
WATCH VIDEO OF PAT CUMMINS RUN OUT IN THE PLAYER BELOW
Unreal. This is simply stunning from @patcummins30, especially after sending down 19 rapid overs on a blazing hot Adelaide day!#AUSvIND | @Toyota_Aus pic.twitter.com/APvK1GYBRd
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 6, 2018
But the awe of Cummins’ terrific pick-and-throw from mid-on run out India’s saviour of the day was not restricted to fans of the sport.
Cummins’ efforts attracted the attention of the Major League Baseball’s website, which ran a story declaring his run-out of Pujara as ‘so insane an MLB team should sign this guy right now’.
The article commented how “this bucket-hatted young Aussie would slot in phenomenally as a big league infielder” while comparing the fast bowler’s athleticism to baseball player Josh Harrison’s effort from the previous MLB season.
.@jhay_da_man auditioning to be Superman. pic.twitter.com/KW6j7Iewxj
— MLB (@MLB) June 19, 2018
In 2005, a scout and first-base coach for the current MLB champions Boston Red Sox had informally approached Adam Gilchrist, so impressed by the Australia icon’s hitting of the cricket ball that he wrote in an email to his manager, Stephen Atkinson: “He times the ball as good as anyone I’ve ever seen, and he is such a great athlete that I wouldn’t underestimate his ability [to make it in baseball].”