“Do you’re feeling as if you’ve accomplished cricket now?”
The primary query a reporter requested Pat Cummins throughout Sunday’s post-match press convention on the SCG was met with roars of laughter. The Australian captain compelled a sheepish smile.
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An hour earlier, Australia had won back the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy following a tense six-wicket victory on the Sydney venue, ending India’s decade of dominance. It was the one main trophy that had repeatedly evaded Cummins, with India profitable the 4 most up-to-date iterations of the marquee collection, together with an sudden triumph on Australian soil in 2020/21.
However having lastly conquered the south Asian powerhouse, Australia was now in possession of each bilateral Check prize they performed for, together with the World Check Championship mace. The Ashes, the Frank Worrell Trophy, the Trans-Tasman Trophy, the Warne–Muralitharan Trophy, the Benaud-Qadir Trophy and even the Southern Cross Trophy had been all in Australia’s again pocket.
Three summers in the past, Cummins was handed the Check captaincy on the eve of the 2021/22 Ashes marketing campaign, thrown into the deep finish following Tim Paine’s unceremonious exit.
Other than a handful of one-day home matches for the New South Wales Blues, Cummins had not captained any cricket group since his teenagers. On the time, bowling captains had been a rarity within the Check enviornment, with pundits questioning how the added management would impression the paceman’s major craft.
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Quick ahead three years, the listing of Cummins’ achievements as Australian captain is unmatched — a historic collection win in Pakistan, a maiden World Check Championship title, retaining the Ashes in England, lifting the World Cup trophy in India, whitewashing the Black Caps in New Zealand and now regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“Unreal, this was one which a couple of of us didn’t have,” Cummins stated throughout Sunday’s post-match presentation on the SCG.
“It’s been a tremendous collection, immensely proud.
“Really feel so privileged to initially have this job. However what we’ve been capable of obtain collectively alongside the assist workers as properly, it’s such a gaggle effort, households as properly. They offer up a lot. So yeah, actually happy with what we’ve been capable of obtain.”
Most Check wickets as captain
187 – Imran Khan (PAK)
138 – Richie Benaud (AUS)
130 – Pat Cummins (AUS)
117 – Garry Sobers (WI)
116 – Daniel Vettori (NZ)
Cummins: “One a couple of of us did not have” | 12:39
As skipper, Cummins has taken 130 Check wickets at 23.50, numbers which might be solely bettered by Imran Khan and Richie Benaud, whereas final 12 months he was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy having been recognised by the ICC as Males’s Cricketer of the Yr.
For no less than 33 matches, Cummins’ win-loss ratio of two.857 as Check captain is behind solely by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, however Australia’s current success was achieved with out the likes of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, every of which might characteristic in Australia’s all-time beginning XI.
Australia’s present bowling quartet has been touted as cricket’s greatest assault because the golden period of the West Indies within the 1970’s, however aside from batting maestro Steve Smith, the highest order doesn’t come near matching the expertise inside Waugh’s group on the flip of the millennium.
Former Australian batter Mike Hussey was a member of the legendary Check facet that gained 16 consecutive matches below Ponting’s steering, culminating in a dramatic overcome India on the SCG in 2008 — however he believes the Cummins-led group deserved to be thought-about among the many nation’s greatest.
“I feel they’ve to be proper up there, as a result of they’ve gained just about every part,” Hussey instructed foxsports.com.au.
“They’ve gained the Ashes. They’ve gained World Cups. I do know Check cricket is totally different to white-ball cricket, however in Pat Cummins’ reign, that is the one they didn’t have, beating India. They’ve been capable of preserve this core group collectively for a protracted, lengthy, lengthy time period.
“We’ve highlighted the bowling group and the quantity of wickets they’ve received collectively. It’s been unimaginable. Solely historical past will choose it, I suppose.
“I’m not superb at judging totally different eras, as a result of it’s arduous to do, however I feel they’re going to be proper up there for positive.”
Highest win-loss ratio amongst Australian Check captains
4.555 – Steve Waugh
3.000 – Ricky Ponting
2.857 – Pat Cummins
2.100 – Steve Smith
2.000 – Mark Taylor
* Minimal 20 wins
Australia’s 3-1 collection overcome India, which conceivably might have been 4-1 if not for Brisbane’s rain, comes after a crushing 295-run defeat throughout the collection opener at Perth Stadium.
The outcome prompted hypothesis on Australia’s preparation forward of the marquee collection — Cummins elected to not play any Sheffield Protect cricket heading into the Check summer time, whereas his resolution to attend a Coldplay live performance fairly than play the third ODI towards Pakistan additionally drew criticism.
After Josh Hazlewood was dominated out of the Adelaide Check with a minor facet pressure, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar recommended the quick bowler’s absence was on account of unrest inside the dressing room.
However regardless of requires recent blood in an getting old squad, there have been no knee jerk reactions to exterior noise from inside the Australian camp — and 5 weeks later, Cummins turned the primary Australian Check captain to show a 0-1 deficit right into a collection triumph since Mark Taylor achieved the feat throughout the 1997 Ashes marketing campaign.
“If you begin a collection behind, a variety of issues get questioned, pretty and unfairly,” Cummins stated.
“However I feel it exhibits the energy of the group to remain sturdy, know that we weren’t at our greatest however can get higher, know we gained’t get caught up within the exterior noise and litter, and simply give attention to what makes us good gamers and group.
“That’s one of the vital rewarding components of this collection.”
He continued: “You possibly can very simply panic in these conditions, and panic loads.
“It’s extra vital to grasp we’re nonetheless primary on this planet, we’re an excellent group, so keep sturdy.”
Former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keeffe stated the nationwide selectors’ religion within the group’s senior gamers had reaped dividends, including that Cummins has led the facet fantastically throughout his tenure.
“It means loads as a result of it is a facet that, in the event that they do lose, the age of the group will probably be questioned. The legacy is that age is only a quantity and we preserve profitable,” O’Keeffe stated.
“They’re an getting old group, however they’ll say age is only a quantity in the event that they preserve profitable collection and massive, large Assessments.
“Should you have a look at final 12 months, there have been possibilities the place they might haven’t gained. Even in New Zealand, they had been fortunate to recover from the road. And Pakistan, in the event that they hadn’t muffed their possibilities, might simply have gained.
“The legacy of this facet is that they’re an previous group, however they’re an excellent group.”
Cummins, who is predicted to overlook subsequent month’s tour of Sri Lanka because of the beginning of his second youngster, turns his consideration in direction of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and June’s World Check Championship towards South Africa at Lord’s.
However for Cummins’ captaincy to be thought-about in the identical echelon as Waugh and Ponting, defeating England and India in their very own yard in two years’s time stays the head.
The 2027 season, which additionally contains the one hundred and fiftieth Anniversary Check towards England on the MCG and a World Cup marketing campaign in South Africa, looms as the ultimate frontier for Cummins and his veteran teammates.
