SYDNEY, Dec 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Pat Cummins Friday said he saw no reason
why a bowler could not captain the Australian Test side after former skipper
Michael Clarke backed him as Tim Paine’s successor.
Wicketkeeper Paine has been widely praised since taking over when Steve
Smith was slapped with a ball-tampering ban in 2018, but he is 36 and there
has been occasional criticism of his form.
Leadership speculation reared its head again this week when limited-overs
captain Aaron Finch missed the second Twenty20 against India and Matthew
Wade, rather than Smith, was tapped to become captain.
Cummins, who was rested for that game, has been appointed the sole vice-
captain for Australia’s four-Test series against India starting next week and
Clarke is a big fan of the world’s number one bowler.
“Patty’s ready for it,” Clarke told reporters Friday, when asked who he
favoured to eventually take over from Paine. “I love that they’ve given him
the full-time vice-captaincy.”
Handing the captain’s armband to a pace spearhead would be unusual, with
Australia usually going for batsmen given a bowler’s extra workload in the
field.
The last fast bowler to captain Australia’s Test team was Ray Lindwall for
one game in 1956.
But Cummins said: “I have been speaking to a few people and they think out
of all formats potentially Tests are easiest for a bowler to captain.
“Obviously you’re busy, you’re going to be out there putting a lot of
effort into bowling, but there’s a bit more time afforded to you, the game
moves at a slightly softer pace,” he told reporters on a Zoom call.
“I know there haven’t been too many bowling captains, but I don’t
understand why it has to be a batter.”
He said being backed by Clarke was “great to hear”, but added: “Of course
it means absolutely nothing because we have got some great captains at the
moment.”
Smith and Travis Head are also expected to be in the frame once Paine
departs.
Cummins will line-up in Adelaide next week for the opening Test having not
played red-ball cricket for 11 months — his longest gap since his Test debut
in 2011.
But he has no concerns about making the switch from the limited-overs
format.
“I don’t see too much of a problem,” he said.
“I’ve been playing quite a bit, high intensity. I’ve played 20 games or so
in the last couple of months so I feel like I’m used to playing and it’s just
that slight tweak as we move into longer form cricket.”