"I’d doubt that I’ll be captaining that long" - Pat Cummins ponders captaincy future to prolong his playing career
Australian captain Pat Cummins remains unsure of leading the country for the rest of his playing career.
The right-arm speedster succeeded Tim Paine as Australia's Test captain and took over from Aaron Finch in ODIs. Contrary to expectations, Cummins has done an exceptional job, fashioning a Test series win in Pakistan, followed by retaining the Ashes in England. In ODIs, he captained Australia to World Cup glory last year.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, February 28, the 30-year-old said his future very much depends on how far his body and form can hold up.
He was quoted as saying by The Sydney Morning Herald:
"In a perfect world, if my form and body could keep up I’d like to be playing into my mid-30s, I’d doubt that I’ll be captaining that long. It’s good to have some freshness every x amount of time. If I’ve got seven or eight years, in a perfect world, of Test cricket I’d be very surprised if I’m captain for the whole time.”
Cummins made his Test debut in 2011 but played his second Test in 2017 due to repeated injuries. However, he became the No.1-ranked Test bowler two years after returning and held the position for a long time.
"Wadey and Marshy are both really good mates" - Pat Cummins
With Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade leading Australia in the T20I series against New Zealand, Cummins claimed to be feeling a lot more relaxed.
"I really enjoyed it actually, with Marshy and Wadey taking up the reins I felt like I could just be a player. On the field, just worrying about your own skills solely, especially in a format that I haven’t played a lot for a while was good. Wadey and Marshy are both really good mates, so I’m there if they need me or want to lean or bounce an idea off me or whatever, but it was more of a mental refresh than anything else,” he explained.
Australia's Test series against New Zealand starts at the Basin Reserve in Wellington on Thursday, February 29.