Pat Cummins captain: Pat Cummins to lead Australia in Tests; Steve Smith named vice-captain

Dixit Bhargav | 26/11/2021
Pat Cummins captain: Pat Cummins to lead Australia in Tests; Steve Smith named vice-captain

Pat Cummins captain: The top-ranked fast bowler in Test cricket has been named as Australia’s 47th Test captain.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins has been named as Australia’s 47th Test captain. With former captain Tim Paine resigning from the role last week in the wake of a sexting scandal, Cricket Australia were in a race against time to appoint a new captain ahead of the first Ashes 2021-22 Test in Brisbane.

Cummins, who was Australia’s vice-captain across formats until today, has become their first-ever full-time fast-bowling captain in more than half-a-century.

Pat Cummins age

Cummins, 28, has minimal captaincy experience in competitive cricket. Having said that, he still was being touted as an apt candidate to replace Paine with appreciations coming from many current and former Australia cricketers including the most recently retired James Pattinson.

Pat Cummins captain

Cummins, who had interviewed in front of a five-member panel comprising of George Bailey, Tony Dodemaide, Mel Jones, Richard Freudenstein and Nick Hockley, considers it to be an “honour” and “unexpected privilege” to lead Australia in Test cricket.

“I am honoured to accept this role ahead of what will be a massive Ashes summer. I hope I can provide the same leadership Tim [Paine] has given the group in the past few years.

“With Steve [Steven Smith] and I as captains, a number of very senior players in this squad and some great young talent coming through we are a strong and tightly knit group. This is an unexpected privilege which I am very grateful for and am very much looking forward to,” Cummins said in a statement according to cricket.com.au.

Steve Smith news

Australia batter Steven Smith, who has led them in 93 international matches across formats including 34 Tests between 2014-18, has been named as Cummins’ deputy in the Test team. Having earlier played a similar role under former captain Michael Clarke, Smith having been there and done that in international cricket should come in handy for Australia.

“I am pleased to return to the leadership of the team and look forward to helping and assisting Pat in any way I can. Pat and I have played together for a long time, so we know our respective styles well.

“We are also great friends, as is the whole group. As a team, we want to play good, positive cricket and also really enjoy each other’s company. There are exciting times ahead as we focus on the Ashes and beyond,” Smith said in a statement.

Post Edited By: Dixit Bhargav
Ashes 2021-22 Australia Pat Cummins Steve Smith

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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