5 instances of fast bowlers captaining in the same Test ft. Pat Cummins and Tim Southee
Pat Cummins and Tim Southee are captains of Australia and New Zealand respectively in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship series between the Trans-Tasman rivals. The first Test of the series happened in Wellington last week, where New Zealand lost by 172 runs.
All-rounder Cameron Green won the Player of the Match award for a fantastic knock of 174 runs in the first innings. Green also scored 34 runs and took one wicket in the second innings to help the Aussies go 1-0 up in the series.
Coming back to the captains in this series, it is rare to see two fast bowlers leading the teams in a Test match because most teams prefer having batters as their skipper. Here's a look at five such rare instances of two fast bowlers as captains in a Test.
#1 Pat Cummins (AUS) vs. Tim Southee (NZ), 2024
Starting the list with the most recent entry, Australia's Pat Cummins is leading his nation against Tim Southee's New Zealand in the ongoing WTC series. It is a two-mach series between the two rivals.
The second Test will begin this Friday in Christchurch at 3:30 AM IST. It will be interesting to see if Tim Southee can lead his men to a victory against Pat Cummins and Co. to level the two-match series.
#2 Bob Willis (ENG) vs. Imran Khan (PAK), 1982
32 years before Pat Cummins vs Tim Southee clashed as captains, fast bowler Bob Willis captained England against pace-bowling all-rounder Imran Khan's Pakistan. It was a three-match series between Pakistan and England in the United Kingdom.
England won that series 2-1. Notably, Imran Khan won the Player of the Match award in the first Test although England emerged victorious. Khan scalped nine wickets in the game, but his efforts ended in a losing cause.
#3 Jason Holder (WI) vs. Suranga Lakmal (SL), 2018
Six years ago, fast bowler Suranga Lakmal captained Sri Lanka in an away series against a West Indies outfit led by pace-bowling all-rounder Jason Holder. It was a three-match series, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
West Indies won the first Test by 226 runs, while the second Test ended in a stalemate. The islanders made a comeback in the third Test to record a four-wicket win and avoid a series defeat.
#4 Wasim Akram (PAK) vs. Courtney Walsh (WI)
Pakistan hosted West Indies for a three-match Test series in 1997. The home team played under fast bowler Wasim Akram's captaincy, while pacer Courtney Walsh led the visitors.
It was a forgettable tour for West Indies as they lost the Test series 0-3. Pakistan won the first Test by an innings and 19 runs, followed by another innings win in the second Test and then a 10-wicket victory in the third Test.
#5 Heath Streak (ZIM) vs. Shaun Pollock (SA), 2001
Two of the most successful African pace bowlers of all time, Heath Streak and Shaun Pollock, went head-to-head as captains during the Zimbabwe vs South Africa Test series in 2001.
South Africa won the first Test by nine wickets, but Zimbabwe fought well in the second game to pull off a draw. The two-match series ended 1-0 in South Africa's favor.