Ashes 2023: Pat Cummins best man to captain Australia – but only at Test level

Despite coming under fire in recent times, Pat Cummins is absolutely the right man to lead the Australian Test team, and there is a quick fix to help skipper, writes Ben Horne.

Pat Cummins is the right man to captain the Australian Test team and should live on in the role, but it’s time to lighten his load.

Cummins has been made 50-over captain for the World Cup starting in a couple of months, but selectors should discuss giving that responsibility to someone else now that the toll of captaining an Ashes series has been laid bare.

The last thing Australia needs is a burnt out Cummins at age 30, given the magnitude of what he can contribute both as a bowler and as a leader of men.

Cummins deserves to be critiqued for his tactical approach to the fourth Test at Old Trafford – and for other pockets of play during this series – but let’s not forget he still sits on the precipice of becoming the first Australian captain in 22 years to win a series in England.

Ricky Ponting couldn’t do it, Michael Clarke couldn’t do it, Steve Smith couldn’t do it, and although Tim Paine retained the Ashes, he did it in a drawn series.

Cummins may, too, fall short this week at The Oval and have to settle for 2-2 and the urn retained, but who is to say he can’t inspire one last momentum shift in this extraordinary Ashes epic?

If he does, that’s a World Test Championship and an Ashes series from the biggest year in the history of Australian Test cricket, with the Indian tour the only failure.

Pat Cummins looked out of ideas in the fourth Test. Picture: Oli Scarff / AFP

It’s very rare to get a Test captain who is both an outstanding leader of men and a tactical genius.

Cummins may not be the latter, but in any case, Australia should be prioritising the former any day of the week.

Given what Australian cricket has been through over the past 5-10 years, surely we can appreciate a true leader is more important overall than a bloke who can set the best field.

The Australian public has a unique relationship with the Test team. It takes on greater stature in the national psyche than any other sport because people feel ownership over it.

Cummins’ maturity, demeanour and strength of character overrides his tactical weaknesses.

Anyone who doesn’t think those qualities helped Australia win the first Test at Edgbaston and second Test at Lord’s – despite losing both tosses and having the worst of the conditions – is a harsh judge.

Australia’s review of this Ashes tour should focus on how Australia can better help Cummins going forward, rather than looking for a new skipper.

What are Australia’s army of coaches and other senior players doing to best help Cummins’ with tactical flexibility instead of being so set on one plan?

Are there too many voices having their two cents’ worth, or could they take on a more proactive role in pitching in?

Does Pat Cummins need a rest? Picture: Oli Scarff / AFP

The other factor to consider is Baz Ball is brand new. It’s an in-your-face juggernaut. It’s intimidating. It’s weird. And despite shedding some blood along the way, Cummins has done a better job handling the beast than any other captain so far.

He will be better for the experience, particularly because his captaincy experience was almost non-existent before being elevated out of nowhere to the Test captaincy 18 months ago.

But after witnessing Cummins looking devoid of energy and ideas at Old Trafford, Australia might now be well advised to draw a line at him captaining the ODI World Cup.

In the 50-over format it is more about tactics than leadership, and handing the reins to Steve Smith for a one-off campaign would make life easier in a lot of respects.

For one, having Cummins as ODI captain creates potential selection compromises because in India, Australia may pick only two fast bowlers, and what does that mean for white ball weapons like Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood?

But above all, it gives Cummins the freedom he needs to rest or just focus on bowling when there’s a break from the rigours of Test cricket, which is where Australia needs him most.

Originally published as Ashes 2023: Pat Cummins best man to captain Australia – but only at Test level