Cummins’ big chance to prove he can be king

Pat Cummins’ appointment as one-day captain of NSW gives the quick some work experience with an eye to one day taking on the Test job.

NSW paceman Pat Cummins at Cricket NSW HQ at Sydney Olympic Park

It is only a one-day match between NSW and Victoria at North Sydney Oval but inherent in its detail is a potential answer to questions about the future of the Australian cricket team.

Can a fast bowler captain?

Is Pat Cummins the man to replace Tim Paine when the 36-year-old skipper’s time comes to an end?

The NSW team has a fair bit of leadership talent on hand but has appointed Cummins its one-day captain.

Keeper Peter Nevill is the four-day skipper. Steve Smith, former captain of Australia, is down to play the one-day game and NSW’s remaining Shield matches.

David Warner, a successful IPL captain and one who handled himself with aplomb when asked to do the Australian job in a T20 tournament some years ago, has his cards marked ‘never to captain again’.

Moises Henriques, who led the Sixers in their recent BBL victory, is also on hand. Trent Copeland has led the second XI many a time.

Cummins, however, is the Australian vice-captain and the man many consider a front runner to replace Paine permanently when that moment comes and will lead the Blues onto the ground this Monday for the first of five scheduled games in what passes for the Marsh Cup this year.

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Cricket Australia announced its fixtures for the 50-over and remaining Shield summer on Wednesday. The Shield has been reduced to eight matches and a final when the summer calendar was struck by COVID-19 but there is a guarantee provided to the players association that it will return to the full 10 and a final next summer. The remaining WNCL fixtures were also released.

Warner is one of the big names who will be absent from the early rounds as he attempts to complete recovery from a groin injury.

Cummins, who should have been heading to South Africa in a fortnight with the Test squad, now has domestic duties until the IPL begins.

“This opportunity is a huge one to actually give it a crack,” Cummins said.

“It’s been under-16s since I’ve had a decent crack at it. Just keen to first of all see if I’m any good, or hopeless. If I enjoy it, see how it goes, and then not looking too much further ahead than these few games.”

The sight of the Australian captain Paine opening the bowling in club cricket earlier in the week appears to have emboldened Cummins despite the many nay sayers who suggest quicks cannot captain.

“I don’t think just because you’re automatically a bowler or a wicketkeeper rules you out of captaincy,” he said. “No doubt there is a few more challenges about being a bowler but also it brings some opportunities.

“I’ll try to hang around mid-off, although it’s North Sydney Oval so I could be on the fence, and I’m close to the bowler.

“You hope that our skill is trying to get wickets as a bowler and that’s a lot of the time what you’re trying to do as a captain out in the field. Managing the workload, that’s something I’m going to have to see how it goes in these next few games and get a taste of it that way but I’m not too sure about longer form stuff.”

The Australian players have been slammed for allegedly not wanting to tour South Africa after the series was cancelled due to medical concerns. Cummins dismisses the suggestion.

“Of course we did,” he said. “We need to win those games to guarantee our spot in the Test Championship final. It’s a place we love going and playing. It’s really tough cricket but similar cricket to what we like playing. Absolutely we wanted to go.

“We gave it every chance but in the middle of a current big pandemic, the No 1 priority is absolutely health. Things like Test championships and middle of our career and trying to make amends for losing this series here, unfortunately is never going to take precedence over our health.”

Australia may still get through to the final if the results go a certain way in the current India-England series.

England’s unexpected win in the first match of the four Test series is an unexpected bonus with Australia needing the visitors to win 1-0, 2-0, 2-1 or if the series is dawn.