"He’s got that ability" - James Anderson wants Pat Cummins to be appointed Australia's Test captain after Tim Paine's resignation
James Anderson believes Pat Cummins is the right candidate to become Tim Paine's successor as Australia's Test captain.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Anderson wants more bowlers to take up leadership roles. The 39-year-old feels Cummins has been leading the bowling attack in exemplary fashion, and he has it in him to be the skipper of his national side.
"Bowlers do think a lot about the game, we are thinking cricketers now. I think he’d be good at it, you can see he leads brilliantly in the team, he’s a leader of the bowling attack and you can see he’s got that ability, so why not give him a chance?" Anderson said.
Pat Cummins has been touted as Australia's next Test captain by many experts and fans alike. The seamer has served as vice-captain for the side in all formats for a considerable amount of time now.
On this day 10 years ago, an 18-year-old Pat Cummins hit the winning runs for Australia in his Test debut.
A must-read on his remarkable Test entrance and the pain that followed: cricketa.us/CumminsFeature https://t.co/OyPhI7cl0P
Tim Paine steps down as Australia's Test captain after texting scandal
Meanwhile, Australia's wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine relinquished his Test captaincy on Friday over a texting scandal. The player has been accused of sending unsolicited pictures of himself along with some explicit text messages to a female co-worker back in 2017.
JUST IN: Tim Paine stands down as captain of the Australian Men's Test team...
More to come... #Ashes
The 36-year-old made the announcement during a press conference in Hobart. He, however, confirmed that he will continue to remain a part of the Test team. He said:
"Today, I'm announcing my decision to stand down as the captain of the Australian men's test team. It's an incredibly difficult decision, but the right one for me, my family, and cricket. As a background on my decision, nearly four years ago, I was involved in a text exchange with a then-colleague. At the time, the exchange was the subject of a thorough CA Integrity Unit investigation, throughout which I fully participated in and openly participated in."
Paine also mentioned that he feels his decision has come at the right time as he doesn't want the scandal to have an impact on the team's preparations for the impending Ashes.