Steve Smith leaves England guessing over Pat Cummins Ashes captaincy decision
The man who could single-handedly swing the Ashes remains shrouded in mystery as Australia plays the ultimate poker game with their trump card.
O captain! My captain! Actually, who is the captain?
“A whole heap of things are on the table,” Steve Smith says on the eve of the second Ashes Test at the Gabba.
“We’ll wait and see what the wicket looks like and from there we’ll determine a playing XI.
“I can’t give you a great deal now. I apologise.”
O, the mystery! Pat Cummins’ comin’s and goin’s continue. He’s been firing on all cylinders in the nets, bowling at a million miles an hour, pushing off the back fence, snarling a bit, his crook back seemingly in the ancient past. His rehabilitation is basically complete and he appears fit enough to play in Brisbane but Australia have the luxury, if so desired, of keeping their ace up their sleeve thanks to a 1-0 series lead.
Smith’s coyness about who’ll toss the coin with England skipper Ben Stokes reveals genuine uncertainty until the Gabba pitch reveals its true colours – a green monster or a simple greentop – or a blatant attempt to keep the visitors guessing until Australia’s side is announced shortly before the toss on Thursday.
O captain, this captain, Smith, is stating the bleeding obvious when he’s asked to detail what Cummins brings to the table. “I mean, he’s not a bad bowler, is he?” Smith says. “His record probably speaks for itself.
“He’s a wonderful bowler. He’s going to bowl good line and lengths. Challenge the batting. Obviously, his leadership as well – look, he’s close. He’s done everything really well the last little bit. He looks pretty good to me, the way he’s bowled in the nets. Obviously games are a different intensity, but he’s tracking really nicely. He knows his body really well. We’ll wait and see.”
If Cummins plays, Smith knows this much. O captain, Cummins will be the captain. Asked if he’ll remain skipper if Cummins returns, Smith replies: “I wouldn’t have thought so.”
Stokes isn’t sure which captain of Australia’s two captains he will be calling heads or tails with.
“I don’t know,” he says. “I see it as they probably don’t know what XI they’re going to pick until the toss. We’ll just have to wait and see what XI they’ve got.
“Pat’s awesome. Has been for a very, very long time. He’s done great things, not only as a player, but he’s been great since he’s been given the responsibility of being captain for Australia.”
What’s the Australian way? We understand England’s style of play. Bazball is bonkers. What’s Australia’s actual method? How does Smith describe Australia’s way of playing Test cricket?
“Adapting to conditions and what’s in front of us,” he says. “Playing the game in real time. That’s one thing this team has done really well for a period of time. Being able to sum up the conditions, play what’s in front, in live time, and not get back in the shed and say, ‘We should have played this way, we should have done this’. Just playing what’s in front of us and doing it for long periods. If you do that in Test cricket, I think it holds you in pretty good stead.”
The Australian way is smarter, tougher, more flexible than Bazball. It’s hardball. England is obsessed by a quick kill. Sorry to be captain obvious, but Australia’s more willing to do ’em slowly.
“They play quite an aggressive brand,” Smith says. “When they get going, they’re going to score at pace, we know that. For us, it’s about putting the ball in the right areas for long enough, sticking to our plans, trusting what we’re doing. I think over the long run, hopefully it comes off.
“They’ve said for a while they’re not going to really change the way they go about their business; I don’t expect too much different. For us, it’s not focusing too much on what they do. It’s ensuring we’ve got our plans in place and focusing on what we do well ... for long periods of time. It doesn’t bother us one bit.”
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