Tim Paine Will Be Succeeded By Pat Cummins As A Test Skipper: Michael Clarke

Dec 11, 2020 at 2:34 PM

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Tim Paine Will Be Succeeded By Pat Cummins As A Test Skipper: Michael Clarke

Tim Paine was handed the captaincy armband after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 which saw one year ban from all forms of cricket for then skipper Steve Smith and deputy David Warner. Moreover, the duo was also given subsequent captaincy bans-as Steve Smith cannot become captain for 2 years and David Warner was handed a lifetime captaincy ban.

However, Tim Paine has done a decent job of seeing his team returning back to winning ways as Australia won 10 out of 19 matches he captained during a tough period in Australian cricket. But the 36-year-old Tim Paine is already reaching the fag end of his career after playing 31 tests as a fresh captaincy discussion has been initiated.

Tim Paine, Steve Smith
Tim Paine, Steve Smith

Tim Paine Doing A Great Job But Pat Cummins Should Be Given Captaincy As He Is Ready For It: Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke, the former Australian batsman and an ex-skipper is hopeful of pace spearhead Pat Cummins succeeding Tim Paine as the country’s Test leader when the veteran’s reign comes to an end.

There have also been calls from fans, experts and former cricketers to reinstate batsman Steve Smith as skipper. Still, Michael Clarke believes pacer Pat Cummins, who was recently appointed the sole vice-captain after previously sharing the role with Travis Head, should be handed the role of captaincy when the perfect time comes.

“Patty’s ready for it. I love that they’ve given him the full-time vice- captaincy,” Clarke told the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke. Image Credit: Getty Images

“Right now I think Finchy is doing a great job, Painey is doing a great job. So, that gives Pat Cummins the opportunity to learn and watch and sit back and and see how he feels about that role and experience a few different things,” Clarke said.

“Hopefully he gets an opportunity along the way to captain in certain games, whether it be Australia A or whether it be a tour game, whatever it is, which I’m sure he will,” he added.

Both the duo of Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner resigned from their posts after they were slapped with a one-year international ban for their involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering scandal. Since then Tim Paine has been captaining the Test team while Aaron Finch was assigned the limited-overs leadership after Australia’s 5-0 whitewash against England in May 2018.

Michael Clarke Rejects Notion That A Batsman Should Do Well As Skipper Rather Than A Bowler

Michael Clarke, who was the skipper of Australia in 47 Tests before retiring in 2015, also rejected the popular belief that a batsman is better suited to the role of a captain than a bowler as Pat Cummins is a bowler himself. Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Heath Streak, Daniel Vettori and Shaun Pollock have been successful captains as bowlers in recent past while pacer Jason Holder is still captaining West Indies.

“Not at all. These days there’s so much cricket. Batsmen get injured. Bowlers get injured. Guys are going to be rested,” he said.

Pat Cummins.
Pat Cummins. Image Credit: Getty Images.

“For me it’s the right person for the job that’s the most important, not whether you’re a batter or bowler,” Clarke added.

In January 2019, Pat Cummins became one of Australia’s two-Test vice-captains, alongside Travis Head. Pat Cummins was also named as the sole vice-captain in limited-overs formats, with Alex Carey dropped as a co-vice-captain for the three T20Is and three ODIs against England.

Recently, he was appointed sole test vice-captain after being rested in T20I series against India. He also didn’t play the 3rd ODI and picked three wickets in two ODIs averaging 39.67.

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