Pat Cummins credits former Indian pacer for showing bowlers can also lead well in cricket

Australia will lock horns with arch-rivals England in the upcoming Ashes 2021 tournament, with pace-bowling all-rounder Pat Cummins as the skipper of the squad. Cummins was appointed as the 47th Test skipper of Australia with the Ashes series set to begin in Brisbane on December 8, as his first assignment and has thanked a former India pacer for adding to his belief in the role. Meanwhile, after his appointment, he expressed his thoughts on the milestone and credited former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan for showing the world that fast bowlers can also prove to be great leaders. 

Pat Cummins played for the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils, now known as Delhi Capital, in the 2017 season under the captaincy of Zaheer Khan. As per AAP, speaking about his time under Khan, Cummins said, “I really liked his work tactically around T20s. He was just fantastic. Just someone great to bounce bowling ideas off and it was even better than he was at the top of my mark, you know, helping me set fields and tactics. I saw pretty clearly there the benefits of it. I didn’t see too many drawbacks. It’s a different format, but I thought he was fantastic”. Cummins will become the first pace bowler to captain the side after pacer Ray Lindwall led the Aussie squad for a single Test match in 1956.

What did Pat Cummins say about his deputy Steve Smith?

At the same time, Cummins also spoke about his deputy Steve Smith by saying he was desperate to have Steve Smith by his side, citing his experience as the former leader of the squad. The new Australian Test skipper explained the same by saying that there are always a few unknowns about having a bowling captain. Citing the reason, Cummins said, “That’s why from the outset I was absolutely determined if I was captain to have someone like Steve as vice-captain. I feel like I’ve got quite a lot of experience to draw on. A lot of the problems or potential issues around being a fast-bowling captain, I’m sure we’ll be able to work through.”

Image: AP