Ashes 2021-22: Joe Root exposed by Gabba myth, rival captain Pat Cummins

The ghost of a former England captain returned to haunt Joe Root at the Gabba after debutant skipper Pat Cummins capitalised on a shocking oversight from the tourists, writes Robert Craddock.

Pat Cummins celebrates dismissing Haseeb Hameed Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

You could tell at the toss the Ashes vibe we all expected was mysteriously tilting on its axis.

Joe Root had captained England 56 times yet he seemed tense and tightly wound with the hint of uncertainty about where he was heading.

By contrast, Pat Cummins was smiling and relaxed and talking about the “amazing vibe’’ in his side.

Was this man heading for a round of golf or his first morning as Australia’s 47th Test captain? It was hard to tell.

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Admittedly, this was one toss where the winner was the man under pressure and England’s chicken nugget sized 147 proved that Root made the wrong call as Cummins pounced for a five wicket haul and a dream start.

Many others – Cummins included - would have made the same call as Root but that didn’t ease the pain for England as a green wicket yielded more bounce and seam than recent Gabba decks.

Conditions were testing but not treacherous. Matthew Hayden scored many first class centuries on wickets of similar ilk.

Pat Cummins brought himself on in the fifth over. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Any more batting performances like this from England and we will be forced to retell those old jokes about Prince Charles being sent an SOS to bat for England but declining with the line “I can’t bat but Camilla Parker Bowles.’’

Maybe Root was so tense because as a northern Englishman who has lived his life with grey skies above and green decks below, every cricketing instinct would have been telling him to utter “we’ll bowl.’’

But since Nasser Hussain bowled first here 18 years ago and Australia raced away with the match no Englishman has been able to get the words out at this venue.

Hussain’s call has become so notorious that his line at THAT toss “we’ll have a bowl’’ even appeared in a promotion for England’s Sky Sports a few years back, a subtle reminder to captains present and future of how one ball call can, most unfairly, define a man’s career.

England studied all sorts of statistics before deciding to bat first before missing the one that mattered most … the last four captains who have won the toss at the Gabba have batted first – and lost.

Captain Cummins knocks over Ben Stokes! 🔥#ASHES LIVE 👉 https://t.co/n64lEwYz1epic.twitter.com/pRUb61Ux6C

— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) December 8, 2021

If Richie Benaud was still alive he would probably tell Cummins his old creed that “captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill but don’t try it without the second bit.’’

Cummins had both. The luck came at the toss. Australia would have batted first too. Maybe they would have been skittled as well.

One significant plus about being a fast bowling captain is you can make your rivalries personal … very personal.

Cummins first statement as a captain was to bring himself on at first change for the fifth over with an intention to confront his rival skipper Root.

Cummins celebrates Root’s wicket. Picture: Dan Peled/AFP

As it turned out he didn’t even get to bowl a ball to him before Root lost his wicket for a duck to Josh Hazlewood but sometimes a signal of intent can mean even more than the deeds that follow it.

Of course the numbers suggested it was a nice match up anyway. Cummins had taken Root’s wicket seven in Tests and averages around 20 runs per wicket against him which is rousing form against a batsman who averages more than 50.

But this was more than just the star bowler taking on the star batsman just because the stats pointed him to the top of his bowling mark.

It was captain versus captain. It was Cummins making the call and saying “it’s me versus you skipper.’’ These are rare confrontations in Tests because bowling captains are so rare.

Root’s dismissal to an edge to first slip was not a shock to Gabba netwatchers who this week had noticed that Root was struggling with his footwork and timing to precisely that sort of ball.

Cummins could not have been happier with his first day in charge.

Mark Taylor once said that when the Australian team is playing well it can often feel it operates on autopilot and that is what it looked like at the Gabba.

Pat Cummins walks off the Gabba with historic figures. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty

Everyone was waiting to dissect the dynamics between captain Cummins and vice-captain Steve Smith and who had their hands on the wheel at what times.

But the ship ran so smoothly it almost ran itself. There were times when you would have struggled to pick the captain because the field was set, the bowling was slick and Plan A was working so well there was no need for conjuring, arm waving or dice rolling.

Steve Smith, often so animated, had time to practice his “leave’’ which is so important on this type of wicket on this type of day.

The first big chat between Smith and Cummins came when Nathan Lyon came on which was not surprising because Smith is so nuanced to his field settings.

When Cummins took and fifth and final wicket his celebration was interrupted by umpires who wanted to know what roller he wanted before the Australian innings, just another reminder the captain’s work is never done.

Originally published as Ashes 2021-22: Joe Root exposed by Gabba myth, rival captain Pat Cummins