Pat Cummins loses top Test bowling ranking after four years

The tour of India keeps getting worse for captain Pat Cummins, losing a coveted title after two heavy defeats in India.

Rohit Sharma of India and Pat Cummins of Australia are seen at the coin toss during day one of the Second Test match in the series between India and Australia at Arun Jaitley Stadium on February 17, 2023 in Delhi, India. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)

The blows keep coming for Australian Test captain Pat Cummins, losing the title of the world’s top ranked Test bowler after four years.

Cummins has held the number one ranking since 2019 after a strong home summer against the West Indies and Sri Lanka and a record-breaking away Ashes tour under then-captain Tim Paine.

With Cummins struggling this series with three wickets at 39.66 compared to Mohammed Shami as the top ranked fast bowler with seven wickets at 14.42, the mantle has gone to a surprising figure.

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England’s James Anderson, off the back of England’s stunning win against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui last week, has rocketed to the top of the rankings for the sixth time, despite being in the twilight of his career at the age of 40.

The evergreen Anderson somehow has gotten even better with age, despite being long past the point when most fast bowlers have hung up the boots.

Jimmy Anderson just keeps getting better somehow. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

Since turning 35, Anderson averages just 20.56 in Test cricket, and he is one of just two seamers in history to take more than 25 Test wickets after turning 40.

In 2022/23, he has taken 15 wickets at a scarcely believeable average of 13.46 from six innings in tours away to Pakistan and New Zealand, two of the toughest travelling assignments in world cricket.

Among fast bowlers, Anderson is the leading Test wicket-taker of all time, as the only person to have taken more than 600 Test wickets.

Anderson becomes the oldest player to top the rankings since Australian legspinner Clarrie Grimmett in 1936, and the fifth-oldest bowler in the history of the game.

It continues the Indian tour of pain for Cummins, who has flown home before the third Test for family reasons.

Pat Cummins (foreground) has flown home for family reasons before the third Test. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Cummins was joined on the plane home by the injured Josh Hazlewood and David Warner, as well as the dropped Ashton Agar.

The Delhi Test saw one of the craziest Australian batting collapses in recent memory, with Cummins on Sunday admitting Australia’s batsmen slipped “away from their methods” after an over-reliance on sweep shots in the six-wicket loss.

The Tour has been a disaster for Cummins with the Australian captain facing a barrage of criticism from former Australian Test players for his leadership, attitude and personal performances.

Cummins was slammed for his brain snap which saw him bowled for a golden duck in the second innings as Australia lost 8/28.

“That’s just a horrible shot from the captain,” Aussie great Michael Hussey said.

Cummins was slammed by critics for his brain snap in Australia’s second innings. Picture: Fox Sports

Fox Cricket’s Brendan Julian also said: “That’s terrible. I don’t know what he was thinking Pat Cummins. First ball, I reckon he just thought ‘I’m going to be positive’ and panicked.”

He was also slammed for going missing in India’s First Innings where the home team recovered from the brink of collapse with a bottom order fight back.

Aussie Test legend Matthew Hayden said he wanted Cummins, as captain and the only fast bowler selected for the Test, to bowl the tough overs when the ball had gone soft in the final overs before the new ball was available.

“These are Pat Cummins’ overs right now,” Hayden said.

James Anderson (L) has smashed records on his way to the top of the Test bowling rankings at the age of 40, with teammate Stuart Broad (R) joining him in the most prolific bowling partnership in the history of the game. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

“Pat Cummins needs to come on and bowl two or three overs of explosive stuff.”

This India tour was always shaping as the biggest test of Cummins’ captaincy career so far.

After an innings defeat in the First Test and the disastrous second innings collapse in Delhi, Australian cricket is turning to Cummins for answers.

While India have retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth consecutive series, the series is very much alive in many ways for the Australians.

In order to secure a place in the World Test Championship final in June, the Australians need to avoid being swept 4-0 in India.

If India do manage a whitewash at home, Australia will be barracking for the little brother over the Tasman, as a 2-0 home defeat for New Zealand against Sri Lanka would see the Sri Lankans qualify for the final, despite being ranked seventh in the format.

The thrashings the Australians have copped at the hands of the hosts have put a white-hot spotlight on the team’s preparation for the tour, and has now raised questions of the team’s chances heading into a potential World Test Championship final and an away Ashes tour.

Originally published as Pat Cummins loses top Test bowling ranking after four years