After Tim Paine stepped down as Australia’s captain and ruled himself out of the Ashes, Pat Cummins was announced as the Test Captain. Hence, Pat Cummins is the first bowler to captain Australia in Tests since the 1960s. Richie Benaud was the last Aussie bowler to have held the role of a Test captain. It will be a big assignment for Pat, who has held the vice-captain role for a while now.
Pat Cummins is the first bowler to captain the Aussie since the 1960s
Usually, bowlers, especially the faster bowlers are not chosen to lead a team due to the physical exertion of their job. However, Pat Cummins has been given the task thanks to the work he has put in over the years.
He is the first Australian bowler to captain since Richie Benaud in 1963 and the first fast bowler since Ray Lindwall in 1956. Cummins also happens to be the first pure pacer to lead Australia in Tests.
At least in recent years, very few teams have experimented with this option. The likes of Wasim Akram and Shaun Pollock did find decent success in the job in the past. It needs to be seen if Pat can emulate the legends.
Cummins will become first bowler to captain Australia since Richie Benaud in 1963 👀
Tomorrow he will make history 🔒
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The Aussie captain is off to a fine start
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins has gotten off to a fine start as a captain. His team has managed to bundle out the visiting Englishmen to just 147 runs in the first innings of the Gabba Test. Pat Cummins was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped yet another five-wicket haul.
As expected, rain has interrupted play, but the Aussies will be confident of extracting a result from the game. England’s batting order is struggling, with the likes of Joe Root and Ben Stokes failing on Day 1. The bowlers need to put on a spirited performance and the batters should hold their ground if England has to survive the game.