Pat Cummins In 2023: The Stellar Journey Of Australia’s Brightest Star
Australian Cricket concluded the year 2023 basking in glory, largely due to their captain Pat Cummins' remarkable achievements within the year.
Patrick James Cummins, or Pat Cummins as we call him, finished the year 2023 having won Australia an ODI World Cup as skipper, retained an away Ashes series and won the World Test Championship (WTC) alongside other notable achievements. Call him Australia’s golden boy or the captain fantastic, any moniker or title will fall short to justify the foundation that he has laid to become one of the best the game of cricket has ever seen. However, for a boy born in Westmead, Sydney, to Peter and Maria Cummins, it would have all been hard to believe. But then, what truly defines life if not a sequence of unexpected turns?
Pat Cummins made his international debut in Cape Town, against South Africa in a T20 match on October 13, 2011. He then went on to make his Test debut on November 17, 2011 in the second Test of the two-match Test series on the same tour. Australia’s then-Chief Selector, Andrew Hilditch, said when Cummins earned one of 25 Cricket Australia contracts, “...we're really all of the view that he's a potential champion for Australia and we're going to encourage that and look after him". Then a few months later, when Cummins was slated to make his Test debut, Hilditch assuredly stated, "Certainly, if we're going to get back to the top of Test cricket, I would imagine he's going to play a big role," as quoted by cricket.com.au.
Little would Hilditch have known, that over a decade later, both of his statements will come absolutely true. Cummins not only made sure Australia got on top of Test cricket as a skipper, he also played his primary role as a pacer impeccably well.
Test Captaincy Challenges
Cummins began his Test captaincy remarkably as he secured victories in 8 out of his first 13 Tests as captain, including a series win in Pakistan. However, 2023 wasn't all smooth sailing for Australia's campaigner. It began in February when Cummins and co. faced their toughest challenge: India in India, in red-ball cricket. Australia were all over the place in the first Test in Nagpur against the hosts, losing it one-sidedly. Truth be told, Cummins himself was all over the place, tactically and while bowling as well. Australia looked completely un-Australian conceding the match easily.
Come the Delhi Test, they sank even further down the spiral. From being in the driver’s seat, Australia gave it all away in a matter of a few minutes when they went from 64-1 to 113 all-out. Something Steve Smith would later come to recall as “The hour of madness.”
Leadership Debate Amidst Personal Loss
Amidst all the criticism the Australian team faced post Delhi fiasco, Cummins had to return home to care for his mother, Maria, who was dealing with a serious illness linked to the breast cancer she had battled years before. Steve Smith was the stand-in captain for Australia and captained his side to a dominant nine-wicket victory against the hosts on a rank-turner in Indore. This win reignited debates about Cummins's captaincy, with pundits suggesting that Smith might be a more suitable leader. Brad Hogg, a former Australian cricketer, voiced his opinion on his YouTube channel saying, "I think Steve Smith should be the permanent captain.”
Following discussions about Cummins’ captaincy and the preference for Steve Smith as a potential leader, tragedy struck for Cummins. His world was further shaken by the heartbreaking loss of his mother, Maria, who succumbed to her illness. He remained in Australia as his team drew the Ahmedabad Test, losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by 2-1 to India yet again.
WTC Final And The Ashes Triumph
Although they lost the series, Australia had secured their spot in the ICC World Test Championship Final against India at Lord’s, England. This time around, Cummins showcased exceptional leadership, having moved past previous setbacks. As a result, Australia clinched the Test Championship under Cummins, fulfilling Hilditch’s words spoken 12 years earlier.
Cummins-led Australia faced yet another major challenge as they were to meet rampaging England in the Ashes, who were Bazball-ing every opponent they met. Australia went into the first Test in Birmingham as the underdogs given the nature of cricket England were playing. However, Cummins once again shone bright when his team stood at 209-7, chasing 281 runs. His heroic contribution of 44 runs gave Australia a remarkable first Test victory giving England's Bazball cricket a reality check in the Birmingham Test that was decided on the final day. Australia came out of England having retained The Ashes by 2-2.
ODI World Cup Glory And Record IPL Deal
In October, Australia faced another setback, finding themselves on ninth spot in the league’s table, having lost their first two matches in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Once more, they seemed drained and bewildered, a far cry from their reputation as tournament favourites. However, Cummins and his men yet again staged a remarkable comeback and went on to win eight consecutive matches and ultimately, the tournament’s final against a formidable Indian side in front of more than 120,000 people, clinching Australia their sixth World Cup trophy. Cummins took 15 wickets in the tournament and scored 128 important runs in eight innings and employed smart tactics as skipper throughout, proving once more why Hilditch thought of him as a potential champion for Australia.
Pat Cummins ended 2023 having also sealed a ₹20.50 crore deal In the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction, with Sunrisers Hyderabad, marking him as the IPL's second most expensive player. His year concludes with 59 wickets across 24 matches, highlighted by a ten-wicket haul in the home Boxing Day Test at the MCG just this week.
Australian Cricket concluded the year 2023 basking in glory, largely due to their captain's remarkable achievements within the year. It's safe to say Maria Cummins would have been immensely proud of her son, Patrick James Cummins.
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