His Test numbers are those of an all-time great, and he has played key roles in Australian triumphs in both white-ball formats. But for a long while, it was doubtful in the extreme whether Pat Cummins would have a career of note. He had to wait more than six years after his debut to play a first Test on home soil, and a young man with less inner steel would have thrown in the towel after spending home summer after home summer getting treatment for multiple back stress fractures.
Cummins was just 18 and a half when he played a Test against South Africa at The Wanderers in November 2011- the youngest Australian to wear the baggy green since Ian Craig nearly 60 years earlier. Second-innings figures of 6-79 and the composure with which he steered Australia to the target with 13 not out told you everything you needed to know about a precocious talent, but the heel injury picked up in what was only his fourth first-class outing put him on the sidelines for more than six months.
There were stints with Dennis Lillee – who had returned from a terrible back injury in his 1970s heyday – and a remodelled action, but as he grew into his imposing frame, a reputation for fragility only grew. Between his first and second Test – in Ranchi in March 2017 – Cummins played only 25 ODIs and 16 T20Is for Australia. That included being back-up to Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson in the home World Cup of 2015.
Those travails seem distant in the rear-view mirror now as Cummins closes in on 500 international wickets, of which 269 have come in Tests. Australia’s selectors recognised early on that he was a generational talent with the red ball, and his appearances in pajamas have been severely rationed – only 60 ODIs and 34 T20Is since his 2017 comeback.
He did play a vital role when Australia won the T20 World Cup in Dubai in 2021. Starc provided the shock and awe, but it was Cummins’ ability to bottle up one end – his economy rate was 7.37 – that allowed others to grab the headlines. He was similarly impactful in the 2023 World Cup, with the priceless wicket of Virat Kohli breaking the final open for Australia.
Afterwards, Ian Chappell, one of the sport’s senior sages, wrote in his ESPNCricinfo column: “Any cricketer who is not inspired by Cummins is in the wrong game.” Those words perhaps played a big part in convincing the Sunrisers Hyderabad team management to spend a whopping Rs 20.5 crores for his services at the last IPL auction.
In fairness, it seemed an outlandish sum. Across two spells at Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Cummins had done little of note. The focus had primarily been on his thrilling lower-order hitting which had transformed a game or three. With the ball, he had shown glimpses of his class only with Delhi Daredevils [as the Capitals were known then] in 2017.
Sunrisers, though, were a franchise going nowhere. Inspired by David Warner’s prolific run-making, they had made the play-offs every season between 2016 and 2020. Then, Warner was sacked and they finished 8th [last], 8th and 10th [last] in consecutive seasons. Something had to give.
In the weeks leading up to this season, Aiden Markram was abruptly replaced as captain. Only Cummins’ matchless record prevented a big hue and cry and further questions about mismanagement. Having taken over the Australia job from Tim Paine at the start of the home Ashes in 2021, Cummins has gone on to retain the urn (4-0), win the World Test Championship and the World Cup. That India were the team beaten in the two big finals in 2023 wouldn’t have escaped anyone’s notice.
But Chappell also used to say that the best leadership in the world ultimately flounders if you can’t lead from the front. Cummins has done that this IPL by bowling in the most difficult situations on often-horrendous pitches. His variations and the steepling bounce he can extract have kept his economy rate down to 9.23, despite playing in games where his own batters have breached 200 six times. Thrice, they’ve blitzed past 250.
And he does it without any finger-wagging or motor-mouth antics. You rarely see him flustered or out of control, and his players have played with a freedom that comes naturally when you don’t fear recrimination. KKR, his old side, may be favourites, but if you’re looking for a dark horse, the franchise captained by the man who can’t stop winning might be a worthy pick.
For another interesting read:
It’s been a season of two halves for Mohammed Siraj. The fast bowler has regained his mojo at the business end of the @IPL, and also, with the #T20WorldCup around the corner
✍️@g_rajaraman#RCB #Siraj @RCBTweets https://t.co/JD4Z0bDO1j
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) May 21, 2024
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