A day after catching up with Pat Cummins for a coffee in Perth, Pakistan legend Wasim Akram declared the Australian captain was a superb leader of the world’s best attack.
Cummins will lead Australia in the opening Test of a three-match series against Pakistan beginning today at Perth Stadium, with the hosts at full strength leading into the summer.
Akram, who worked with Cummins in the Indian Premier League about a decade ago, has kept in contact with the champion bowler and marvels at the strength of the combination he leads.
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In an interview with Fox Cricket’s The Follow On podcast, Akram said the Australian triple threat is “definitely on top in my fast bowling book” when it comes to modern-day attacks.
“All these three bowlers are the best in the world at the moment,” Akram said.
“I mean, they are big, big units. They are big boys … strong and lean. That is very impressive. They know what to eat. They know how to train. They’re very disciplined. That’s why they’ve (been on top) for the last 10-odd years.”
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The assessment from the Hall of Fame bowler comes as Mitch Starc said the incumbent Test attack has unfinished business with a view to future tours against India and England.
A demanding 2023 has not sated the hunger of the first-choice attack featuring Cummins, Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon as they look to lock themselves in for the future.
Australia has claimed the World Test Championship and ODI World Championship this year, and also retained the Urn during a hard-fought Ashes tour of England.
But the Australians fell short of clinching Test series victories in India and also England when squaring the Ashes and Starc, 33, would love to have another crack at those challenges.
“It is probably a more experienced group in some regards, but certainly, the three of us are enjoying our time on and off the field together. There’s no end date, per se, or end series,” Starc told foxsports.com.au.
“It would be fantastic if we could find a way to keep being good enough to get picked on the next Ashes tour and be able to pick up that trophy and win it, rather than retain it. That’d be nice.
“One of the biggest challenges in cricket is winning in India. We didn’t quite get over the line this year. We’ve been very lucky to win some trophies and win some series across our time, but those two would probably put the cherry on the cake.”
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Cummins, the youngest of the trio aged 30, has no doubt in the ability of his good mates to continue on for as long as they desire.
As remarkable as their skills are, he said a key trait stands them in good stead when it comes to their longevity and ability to perform through their 30s.
“The biggest trait they both have is resilience,” he told foxsports.com.au.
“You are going to play when you are sore. You are going to play when you are out of form. Those boys just show up more than anyone else I’ve ever seen. They are really impressive.”
The spin-bowling member of the quartet, Nathan Lyon, said the professionalism of the trio is the reason they have been able to sustain their excellence across all forms of the game.
“It is a pretty unique, pretty special bowling group. I feel like we are the first … quartet or whatever you want to call it who have played together and got over 200 plus wickets,” Lyon said.
“I feel like we have all helped each other out and they have probably helped me out a lot more than I have helped them out, but I have thoroughly enjoyed playing Test cricket with them.
“You know what you are going to get. They are extremely professional. And they are bloody good at what they do, which makes my job a lot easier.”
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Cummins is looking forward to the time when the New South Welshmen kick back with a decent Scotch or glass of red wine and canvas triumphs including the 2023 World Cup.
But the Australian captain said pressing concerns, beginning with the opening Test against Pakistan, were more than enough to keep the group motivated.
“Joshy has missed a bit of cricket over the last couple of years,” Cummins said.
“We’ve got India coming up next summer. That’s a big one. We haven’t beaten India for a little while out here. And we also have the home Ashes (in a couple of years).
“Mitchell Starc is getting close to 100 Test matches. I am sure Joshy has the 300 plus wickets (in mind). There’s always little milestones that you want to tick off along the way.
“But, realistically, we just all love Test cricket so much that we don’t look too far ahead. We just get excited about the next game.”
Starc first crossed paths with Hazlewood, 32, during an under-age match in NSW pitting the city slickers against kids from the bush and could not believe how talented he was.
“I had sort of only just learned how to bowl and Josh had been bullying country kids for probably 10 years by then,” Starc said.
“He was this big fast bowler, a big name who everyone knew about. We both got picked for New South Wales and have played together ever since … which is pretty cool.
“Pat’s a little bit younger than us. He burst onto the scene and came through the T20 scene for New South Wales, the kid from Penrith who could bowl rockets, a blue-eyed, good looking rooster.”
Akram said the greatest strength of the combination is their ability to pose varying challenges to batsmen while applying relentless pressure, noting “all of them are different”.
Starc marvels at the skills of his teammates, noting “we all complement each other differently”.
“It’s pretty cool. You’ve got Josh, who is that human metronome and can hit a ten cent piece all day, every day,” he said.
“I bowl as a left-arm and have got a bit of air speed. And Pat is a bit of a hybrid in a way. He can bash it in hard and bowl pretty fast or he can swing it.
“And then you’ve got Nathan Lyon, who’s been part of the three of us for a long time and he probably allows us to bowl with the freedom that we do as well.”
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Cummins met his fast bowling buddies for the first time as an 18-year-old.
While there have been more triumphs than tears in recent years, each member of the trio endured difficulties as their bodies matured, with Cummins going six years between Tests.
“There was a lot of shared pain really. We all had injuries and it kind of dovetailed where one of us might be playing while the other guys were injured, or vice-versa. That shared experience brought us closer,” he said.
“They are a couple of years older than me and when I was going through those injuries, I’d seen them get back in the Test team and perform really well.
“Even when I got back into the Aussie Test team, these guys were stalwarts who had played every game for the past couple of years, so I learned how they went about it, their preparation and how they rode the waves. They were great mentors for me.”
While there are still goals to tick off, Starc is looking forward to a distant future that involves plenty of golf as they “turn into those old blokes that did it this way or that way.”
It is something his skipper is keen to foster, but not before they create even more memories together.
“We are already great mates and what we have been able to achieve together in cricket is just going to solidify our friendship,” Cummins said.
“Joshy and Starcy are two of my best mates and not only do we get along great off the field, we have been through so much together through wins and World Cup triumphs.
“We are going to be lifetime mates and we are going to be sitting together and having a beer or a glass of red together for the rest of our lives, just talking about some of those memories, telling the same jokes and ripping into each other. They are two legends and I have been very fortunate to play (alongside them).”
