The Ashes 2023: Ponting goes into bat for Cummins

The Ashes series is coming to a close and the silly season is upon us - but there may be some truth to the rumours of Test stars retiring.

Pat Cummins can achieve what no other Australian captain has since 2001 - win an Ashes series in England Picture: Getty Images

The Ashes series is coming to a close but the silly season is upon us with calls for Pat Cummins’ head and speculation – some unfounded, some valid – that a handful of stars are set to retire before or after the fifth Test.

Steve Smith and David Warner are set to retire from Test cricket, according to gossip from England skipper Michael Vaughan.

At least one of those things would not surprise. Mark Waugh thinks Cummins should stand down and Darren Berry has suggested it. Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson too may be about to bow out. Stand by, all will be revealed.

Ricky Ponting has been among Cummins’ real-time critics but asks if England have outplayed Australia but are losing the series, then shouldn’t it be Ben Stokes’ captaincy that is questioned?

Clearly both skippers have had their moments, good and bad, and as Australian coach Andrew McDonald says, captaincy is more than just tactics.

Cummins’ sensible critics have piled on this series for his field placements and tactics, but apart from two days in Old Trafford, Australia have played cricket that has got results. “I think Pat’s done a terrific job … for a couple of hours on day two (at Old Trafford), things looked like they were getting out of control, but the captain can’t be expected to have the exact right answer 100 per cent of the time,” Ponting told the ICC Review podcast.

“I don’t think it’s got the better of Pat – in fact, for Australia to be 2-1 up where they are right now you’d have to say that Pat’s done a terrific job.

“Everyone’s been talking about how England have outplayed Australia … if that’s the case, maybe there’s some questions to be asked about Ben Stokes’ captaincy then.

Ricky Ponting congratulates Pat Cummins at Lord’s. Picture: Getty Images

“If the fact is they’ve outplayed Australia and are still trailing in the series, I don’t think there should be too many questions about Pat, that’s for sure.”

Ponting, Michael Clarke and Tim Paine have led Australian sides to England over the past 22 years and none could better what Cummins has achieved.

Captaincy is, as McDonald says and Ponting knows, about much more than setting fields.

Few modern captains run the show themselves in modern cricket. Coaches, analysts and senior players all have a role.

McDonald belted Berry’s criticisms over cow corner, saying “there’s opinions that we respect and opinions that we don’t”.

McDonald believes the responsibility for tactics and performances should be shared among leaders and coaches.

“We’re all working on the Australian cricket team together and it should never really come down to Pat as an individual but unfortunately as a captain, sometimes you wear that,” he said.

“It was a disappointing three days or so. We‘re not going to shy away from that and we own that. England put immense pressure on us. There’s no doubt about that.

“I thought the surface on day one gave us an opportunity to put a few more runs on the board and when you sort of get behind a little bit, you’re a little bit short, that can compound on you a little bit and I thought the way that Zak (Crawley) came out and put pressure on us, you’ve got to give some credit to the opposition as well.

“We’ve a chance to revisit our plans, but this team’s played some great cricket over the last eight months. So to judge us on three days would be very harsh.

“We feel as though we’ve still got improvement, even in those first two Test matches we felt like we had some improvements to make there as well.

“So we’ve got capabilities to do that and that’s the exciting and pleasing part of it.”

On the selection front there are moving parts everywhere, with Michael Neser a strong chance to play. Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Marsh are both to be assessed after picking up injuries in the fourth Test. There is a strong rumour that Chris Woakes is injured and will not play for England.

Starc hurt his shoulder twice during the game and looked in a lot of trouble after one incident, but he returned to bowl.

“He’s looking worse for wear and a little bit sore. All indications are that he’ll be right to go but that’ll be assessed,” McDonald said. Marsh failed to take the field for the first hour of the third day’s play and his ankle injury will be assessed before the final Test, with his ability to bowl in doubt.

“He‘s a little bit sore, hence why he was off the field,” McDonald said. “I’m not going to hide that. As to what extent, that’ll be assessed over the next couple of days.

“Does it impact his position in the team? I think the team has played three quicks and one spinner and we have gone that way numerous times in the past. We have had the luxury of all-rounders, or in particular Cameron Green, that’s changed the shape of the team over time. I mean, runs were premium first and foremost.”