Ashes 2021-22: The challenges ahead for Pat Cummins – Australia’s new Test captain

Pat Cummins has been elevated to the role of the Australian Test captain. Tim Paine stepped down as the Aussie captain after his private messages with a Tasmanian woman colleague leaked, and as a result, Cummins has been given the responsibility of leading the side.

Cummins will be the first bowler to captain the Australian side in 6 decades as a full-time captain. Read that again. The last time that a bowler led the Australian side was way back in the year 1963. Since then, it has always been a batter who has led the kangaroos, and Cummins will break this trend. Also, Mark Taylor stated that the way Cummins will run the team will be different and it will be a change of guard moment.

“This is going to be very different. I think all of us ex-captains, in a way we’ve had a similar type plan – the captain runs the cricket team. Straight away Pat’s already setting the ground rules that this will be different, and this will be a changing of the guard,” said Taylor.

The way Cummins, being a bowler runs a side that has historically been led by batters will play a role in shaping the Australian side in the immediate future, which starts with the all-important Ashes series.

The opener for the @FoxCricket #ashes coverage. 1 day to go… pic.twitter.com/d2WsZUL5Je

— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) December 6, 2021

Also, Cummins’ first assignment as the skipper will be the most demanding series that an Aussie Test player can participate in. So, the way Cummins handles the pressure and expectations from an Aussie captain in a series as huge as The Ashes will be crucial.

Captaincy can either be a burden for cricketers, or they can relish it. So, can Cummins handle the burden of captaincy? It remains to be seen whether Cummins’ performance will be amplified because of captaincy getting added on, or will it be a burden and weigh the Aussie skipper down?

And finally, Cummins’ most crucial task will be the way he handles and rubs on with the experienced cricketers in the side who have already been in leadership roles and are more experienced than him in players like David Warner and Steve Smith. Will the ‘seniority’ of these players prove to be a roadblock in Cummins’ path to success, or will he use their experience to chart his path to glory?

Well, The Ashes series against England will surely be a litmus test for Cummins. It remains to be seen whether he can pass this Test with flying colours.