James Pattinson backs Pat Cummins: The former Australian fast bowler has revealed his preference for Australia’s 47th Test captain.
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Following Tim Paine’s resignation as Australia’s Test captain, the search for a new one has been on since last week. There is no hiding to the fact that vice-captain Pat Cummins and former captain Steven Smith are appearing to be two front-runners for the high-profile job.
While Smith has led Australia in 93 international matches across formats including 34 Tests, Cummins has never led at the highest level. Highly inexperienced as captain in domestic cricket, it was only recently that New South Wales had handed Cummins the reigns in the Marsh Cup.
In addition to selecting a captain and taking a decision on Paine’s spot as a wicket-keeper batter, Cricket Australia will also have to ponder hard on his deputy as there are far more candidates for Australia’s vice-captain role.
I suspect Australia will have to go back to Steve Smith as captain. Pat Cummins would be a deserving candidate but as a large hearted fast bowler who gives every spell everything he has, and plays all three formats, his workload will need to be managed.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 19, 2021
James Pattinson backs Pat Cummins to be Australia’s 47th Test captain
Former Australia fast bowler James Pattinson, who had retired from international cricket as recent as last month, had lent his support behind former teammate Cummins to be Australia’s 47th Test captain. Readers must note that the duo had made their respective T20I debuts in the same match.
Speaking in an interview with news.com.au, 31-year old Pattinson explained why Cummins is the most-suited person for the Test captaincy role.
“He’d be unbelievable. He’s got everything, got all the attributes of an Australian captain,” Pattinson was quoted as saying by news.com.au. “He’s a calm head… that’s exactly what I think we need. He’s very smart and he’s got a good cricket brain. He’s got a lot of friends in that group. He’s just a great person.”
It is worth mentioning that both Pattinson and Cummins had undergone similar career trajectories. Having made their respective Test debuts at a young age on the back of a large amount of potential, both Pattinson and Cummins suffered several injuries in the first half-a-decade of their international careers.
