‘He’s really developing as a leader’: Cummins in line to be World Cup hero
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As someone who once stole the crosswords from newspapers when he was training at Cricket NSW, Pat Cummins has always loved a challenge, and he finds the intrigue of leadership no different.
The premier fast bowler and Test captain’s appointment as one-day captain runs only until the end this World Cup, which could come as soon as Thursday when Australia take on South Africa in a semi-final at Kolkata.
But win or lose, Cummins, 30, has given no indication he was wants to give up being skipper of the 50-over side to concentrate on leading the Test team. Instead, he will work closely with coach Andrew McDonald and chairman of selectors George Bailey to be available for Australia’s big white-ball moments.
“We’ve been pretty open, me and Andrew and George, around different times in the year when there’s going to be different priorities,” Cummins said.
Part of those priorities are likely to include Mitchell Marsh being appointed Australia’s Twenty20 captain for the T20 World Cup, to be played in the West Indies and the USA in June, and Cummins wants to be a part of it.
“Hopefully I’m playing in it but captaining, I don’t really know. I think Marshy did a fantastic job in South Africa,” said Cummins, with Marsh, 32, leading a second-string Australian side to a 3-0 series victory last August and September.
Pat Cummins and Mitch Marsh share a close relationship.Credit: Getty
Marsh shapes as the heir apparent as skipper of the one-day team, of whom he is currently vice-captain, as well as the T20 side. He is one of Cummins’ closest confidants.
They were teenage tourists together when Cummins made his Test debut as an 18-year-old in a man-of-the-match performance against South Africa which saw him claim 6-79 in the second inning and hit the winning runs. Stress fractures meant he then waited six years for his second Test.
“We had an instant connection together, we’ve played our whole careers together,” Marsh said. “Obviously he missed a few years, but he’s probably one of my closest mates in life. So I have a lot of respect for him and love what he does.
“There was obviously a lot of questions around can a bowler do it (captain Australia). And he’s proven that’s correct. What you see is what you get. Nothing has changed him or fazes him.
Pat Cummins has had a busy year as Australian captain but is hoping to cap it in style.Credit: Getty
“He’s got a lot of good people around him to help him. He’s really developing as a leader. He’s driving this team forward. He’s done a brilliant job. He was a reluctant captain to begin with, but he’s certainly our leader now.”
Despite a heavy year that has seen Australia come out of a home summer to play a Test series in India, the World Test Championship final and five-Test Ashes series in England and now the World Cup, Cummins is adamant the dual responsibility of leadership and carrying the mantle as Australia’s premier fast bowler has not been a burden.
“This is a bit of a one-off this year, where there’s three or four big off-season events,” Cummins said. “So after here, obviously the kind of focus shifts back to Test cricket for a fair while.
“Like we’ve done in the past, at times white ball cricket is going to have to shift to make sure that we’ve kind of fully focused on Test cricket. So yeah, there’s no end date in sight (to his one-day captaincy).
“I feel like we managed really well and looked after things, albeit in a really, really busy year where you don’t really want to give up any cricket.”
Indeed, far from feeling overburdened, Cummins wants to nominate for the IPL next year as a lead-in to the T20 World Cup.
“I haven’t played a heap of T20 cricket over the last few years and in some ways I feel like I haven’t played my best T20 cricket for a little while,” he said. “So I’m really excited (about the T20 World Cup).
“I’m probably going to go the auction for the IPL next year to try and get some games in before that World Cup and push a case not only to make the side but so I can get back to how I feel like I can bowl in T20 cricket.”
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