Greg Chappell Backs ‘Resilient’ Pat Cummins As Australia’s 47th Test Skipper

Nov 20, 2021 at 3:58 PM

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Greg Chappell Backs ‘Resilient’ Pat Cummins As Australia’s 47th Test Skipper

Greg Chappell, an Australian legendary former batsman, has thrown his weight behind pacer Pat Cummins as the Australian Test team looks for a new leader in the wake of Tim Paine’s unceremonious exit ahead of the Ashes. Greg Chappell described Pat Cummins as a “cleanskin” and a “resilient” character.

Australian cricket was rocked by yet another controversy on Friday when current skipper Tim Paine quit Test captaincy in the wake of a sexting scandal. The 36-year-old sent lewd messages to a co-worker in 2017.

Australia Captain Tim Paine has stepped down from the role (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)
Australia captain Tim Paine has stepped down from the role (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Archive)

Greg Chappell: Pat Cummins Prefers The Bat And Ball To Do The Talking

Writing in his column, Greg Chappell pointed out that Tim Paine came into the job in the aftermath of a scandal. Now, his successor will be doing the same. Tim Paine has led his country to 11 wins, four draws, and eight defeats. Under Tim Paine’s leadership, Australia has retained the Ashes but has lost two successive home series to India.

Tim Paine took over as captain of the team following the infamous Sandpaper gate ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018. It saw the team’s leadership stalwarts (David Warner and Steve Smith) face a suspension for their involvement in the ball-tampering offence.

Backing Pat Cummins, he said: “The fortunate thing is that in Pat Cummins, they have an excellent candidate, ready to go. I expect Cummins to be announced as the 47th Australian men’s Test captain. Like Paine before him, Cummins will be required to not merely lead the team but again rebuild faith in the role and Australian cricket.”

The former Australian skipper further opined that Pat Cummins prefers to let his cricket do the talking, which makes him a good candidate to take over the leadership role.

He elaborated: “Pat is extremely intelligent, an outstanding player and has an excellent cricket brain, so is ideal for the role. Besides, he is not lippy, preferring the bat and ball to do the talking.

“Naturally athletic, a terrific fielder with a rocket arm, I expect him to improve in leaps and bounds as a batter with the responsibility of captaincy. He is easily the world’s best No. 8 batter currently, but capable of batting a notch higher.”

File image of Pat Cummins | Andrew Boyers/Reuters
File image of Pat Cummins | Andrew Boyers/Reuters

Greg Chappell further wrote in praise of the tall fast bowler that he always bowls his heart out.

“Crowds love him and see him for what he is – a cleanskin, who always bowls his heart out for Australia and a resilient chap who has overcome injury challenges with sheer perseverance, dedication and dint of character.”

Pat Cummins was part of Australia’s T20 World Cup 2021-winning squad. He claimed only five wickets in seven games but bowled a brilliant spell at the death in the semis against Pakistan. He was economical in the final as well.

Greg Chappell Said Pat Cummins Has Veteran Cricketers Around Him To Help As His Inexperience As Captain Won’t Matter Much

Greg Chappell opined that managing workload would be one of Pat Cummins’ biggest challenges. The fast bowler represents Australia in all three formats.

Speaking of the same, the 73-year-old wrote: “My biggest fear? The workload, which could preclude him playing a full, five-Test series, without a rest. So, it would be interesting to see who is appointed as his deputy. Cummins will also have to learn to use himself judiciously and neither over-bowl nor under-bowl. It is imperative that the seniors in the team advise him, in a timely manner.”

Greg Chappell
File image of Greg Chappell. (Getty Images)

The former Aussie captain does not think inexperience of leading should be an issue for Pat Cummins as he has the likes of David Warner to help him.

Greg Chappell elaborated: “Obviously, there is a question mark about his lack of captaincy experience, but there are enough old hands around him to help when required. For instance, David Warner has been an outstanding captain of his Twenty20 franchise in the high-pressure cauldron of the IPL, and even led them to a tournament win, so he can be depended upon to contribute constructively.”

The first challenge for the new Australian Test captain will be The Ashes, which will begin with the first Test in Brisbane from December 8. Steve Smith has already declared his interest in leading the national side again following the end of his ban.

He became eligible to lead the side after two years had passed since the ball-tampering incident in South Africa. Marnus Labuschagne revealed his captaincy ambitions just this week but is yet to lead his state and has played only 18 Tests. David Warner is the only other experienced member of Australia’s batting order, but he still has a permanent ban on leadership for his role in the 2018 Cape Town ball-tampering.

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