Pat Cummins will lead Australia to next year’s ODI World Cup in India after being endorsed by the Cricket Australia board to replace Aaron Finch as captain in the 50-over format.
In a key decision for the Australian men’s team after Finch was compelled to retire following a run of low scores, Cummins will now lead both the Test and one-day teams in major events.
Pat Cummins will lead Australia to the ODI World Cup in India next year.Credit:Getty
But he is expected to take plenty of breaks in white-ball series in between World Cups, with the likes of vice-captain Alex Carey and, if allowed, David Warner, likely to take the leadership reins at those times.
“We’ve got 12 months to the next World Cup and you can break it down a little bit for that,” Cummins told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald this week. “I also think historically the idea that if you’re the captain you’ve got to play every single game, with our team, the reality is no one is going to play every game, there’s too many games in the calendar.
“I certainly don’t want to be missing any Test matches because I’m cooked from another format. I think you could make it work where you’re not having to play every single game if it’s not in the best interests of the next Test series coming up, or something like that.”
Cummins noted how he missed the Adelaide Test last year due to COVID-19 regulations at the time, with Steve Smith slotting in seamlessly as red ball deputy.
“We’ve got the same staff across all formats too, so we might be doing it differently to some other countries,” he said regarding England’s separate white- and red-ball coaches Matthew Mott and Brendon McCullum. “But we can work out ways where you manage your schedules in between rather than having totally distinct groups.
“You can share those responsibilities amongst a few of the other senior guys. [Test series and world cups] are the ones you want everyone playing for, they’re obviously the pinnacle, and then you work back from them.
“It’s maybe a little bit different to how it’s been done in the last 50 years, but as long as we’re peaking for those big tournaments and everyone is fit and firing and the captain is the captain there, the in between is not as important.”
The selectors have looked carefully at broadening the leadership options within the team to help ease the load on Cummins outside of Test series and world cups.
“Pat has done an excellent job since taking on the captaincy of the Test side and we look forward to him leading the one-day team to the 2023 World Cup in India,” selection chair George Bailey said.
Cummins pointed towards the example set by Finch over numerous years, including the run to the semi-finals at the 2019 World Cup in England, as key.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed playing under ‘Finchy’ and have learnt an enormous amount from his leadership,” Cummins said on Tuesday. “They are significant shoes to fill, although we are extremely fortunate to have a one-day squad with a huge amount of experience.”
