Cummins named Test captain, Smith takes ‘elevated’ deputy role

Pat Cummins decided long before the scandal which expedited his ascension to the top job that he would need Steve Smith riding shotgun with him as part of a joint leadership ticket if his revolutionary appointment as a fast bowling Test captain is to work.

On another dramatic Friday for the game, Cricket Australia unveiled Cummins as the country’s 47th male Test captain as part of a new leadership team that sees Smith return to an official posting for the first time since the ball tampering scandal in 2018.

“I made it pretty clear that if I was given the captaincy that this is how I saw the team running and I tried to bring Steve along for that as well,” Cummins said.

“Because he’s so central to how I see my captaincy style but also how I see the team functioning. We both got a chance to think quite a lot about it over the last few days before we presented to a couple of board members and selectors and that was after chatting between us too.”

The joy that usually accompanies announcements of such importance was tempered by the news in the morning that former skipper Tim Paine was putting family first and taking an indefinite break from the game on mental health grounds. In this case, both developments were conveyed to players simultaneously.

Paine’s decision means it’s highly unlikely he will feature in any part of the Ashes and could well mark the end of his Test career.

As unexpected as it was, Paine’s resignation last week has merely brought forward by a few months the coronation of Cummins, who had already given tremendous thought as to how he would handle the dual roles of fast bowling and captaincy.

Captaincy has traditionally been the domain of the batter in Australian cricket. Not since Ray Lindwall in 1956 has a paceman been at the helm of the Test team, but the circumstances then were wholly different. Lindwall assumed the reins for just one game, deputising for an injured Ian Johnson.

Australian cricket’s new leaders, Pat Cummins and Steve Smith.Credit: Getty Images

It is why Cummins wanted Smith, with 34 Tests as captain, alongside him in what he described as an “elevated vice-captaincy role” to marshall the team in the field at times when the uncontrollable hazards such as hot days and dominant opposition batters conspire to make life tough for a fast bowling skipper.

“How that looks? I think it potentially could look differently to what you’ve seen partnerships work in the past,” Cummins said.

“There will be times on the field where I’ll throw to Steve and you’ll see Steve move fielders around, maybe doing bowling changes, taking a bit more of an elevated vice captaincy role and that’s what I really want.

“That’s what I’ve asked, and I’m really glad Steve is happy with that as well. We’ll nut out exactly how that works, but it’s going to be a real collaborative approach.

“Steve has got such huge strength especially around tactically out on the field. He sees it differently from first slip. Huge experience working with spinners, bowling changes, mapping out a game. I’ll be leaning on him hugely for that, and it might look a little bit different from the outside to potentially other captains in the past.”

If there is any disappointment for Smith in missing out on the primary job, there is the consolation that he could again wear the captain’s blazer should Cummins break down or be rested.

“If there’s times when Patrick hands to me and wants me to take over and do some different things out on the field I’m there for that,” Smith said. “My job is to support Patrick as much as I can and ensure we’re getting the best out of the team.”

Cummins, though, says he has no intention to sit out any Tests for workload management, which means his downtime will have to come during white-ball series. He does not have aspirations to succeed Aaron Finch in those sides, preferring to devote all his energy to leading in the traditional format.

“My gut feeling and preference at the moment is to have separate captains,” Cummins said. “I think it’s too much to ask certainly of me. I’d love to just concentrate on Test cricket. Aaron’s doing a fantastic job.

“After him, having someone who can take the white ball squad teams to make it their own, take it in their own direction. At the moment I’m purely focused on Tests, that will stay the same for the foreseeable.”

Nor does Cummins, 28, have designs on captaining for the rest of his Test career. At some point he will hand over the role likened to the most important in the country behind the Prime Minister and play out his career on the backbenches as a player only.

By then, CA will hope a successor has emerged, in the form of perhaps Marnus Labuschagne or a younger man like Cameron Green, who has already impressed in his short international career.

“In a perfect world if my form and body could keep up I’d like to be playing into my mid 30s, I’d doubt that I’ll be captaining that long,” Cummins said.

“It’s good to have some freshness every x amount of time. If I’ve got seven or eight years, in a perfect world, of Test cricket I’d be very surprised if I’m captain for the whole time.”

Cummins takes over a team that is both coming to terms with the tumult of losing a leader they love and respect in Paine while also basking in the glow of a T20 World Cup triumph.

“He’s going through a tough time, we feel for him,” Cummins said. “Outside of that, everyone else is in a really good place. We’re really relaxed, really confident going into an Ashes series. It was only 10 days ago since we won a World Cup. The overall mood, outside of feeling for Tim, is one of real excitement and positivity.”

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