Michael Vaughan urges Joe Root to make Pat Cummins 'question himself' in the 2021-22 Ashes series
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has shed light on how the two captains must aim to succeed in the upcoming Ashes series Down Under. Michael Vaughan also dissected how vital it is for Joe Root and Pat Cummins to have an impactful series on all fronts.
Pat Cummins' captaincy is one of the many things to watch out for as Cricket Australia's historic decision saw him replace Tim Paine. While the 28-year-old is the number one Test bowler in the world, he comes into the role with zero captaincy experience in international cricket.
I feel incredibly honored, privileged and excited to be named the Australian Mens Test Captain.
I’ll be trying my best and can’t wait to get started at the Gabba in a couple of weeks!
Also very lucky to have my man @steve_smith49 alongside me as VC. #ashes https://t.co/iVPurweQP7
Writing in his column for the Telegraph, Michael Vaughan believes Root, who is vastly experienced as skipper when compared to Cummins, must expose the right-arm speedster. He wrote:
"Joe has to be positive. He has a great opportunity to nullify Cummins and set an example. He could take Cummins into his third or fourth spell. Joe, with his batting, can make Cummins question himself. It will be fascinating to see if Cummins relaxes into the job."
The 47-year-old is aware of Cummins' knack for dismissing his counterpart. He trusts the hosts not to make the same mistake as India against the number one Test batsman. He noted:
"He does have the advantage of knowing he got the better of Joe in the last Ashes series. He just seems to bowl the right length at him. Australia will not make the same mistake as India last summer who bowled shorter, allowing Joe to sit on his back foot. Surely, Australia will bowl a yard and a half fuller and bring him forward."
Vaughan continued:
"Cummins does not know yet whether he can handle playing and leadership. Cummins doesn’t know how he will feel on the first morning or what he will say to his team because you cannot really prepare for that first team talk."
While Cummins remains inexperienced as captain, some feel the 28-year-old has a brilliant cricketing brain. The New South Wales bowler should benefit from having Steve Smith as his deputy as he is a former skipper himself.
Michael Vaughan suggests England be wary of Nathan Lyon
Vaughan also reminded the visitors not to ignore off-spinner Nathan Lyon amid their preparations against Australia's pace attack. Vaughan pointed to the bounce of the Gabba surface, aiding Lyon exceptionally well. He wrote:
"But ultimately I will give one warning to England: Nathan Lyon in Brisbane. England have to be careful because in Brisbane, with the bounce Lyon extracts from the surface, he can be a huge threat. I have seen it before. England focus so much on Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood and worry about pace and movement, four slips and trying to get the front foot to stamp their authority on the series that they overlook the off-spinner."
While Lyon had a forgettable series last summer, claiming only nine wickets in four Tests, he tends to thrive against England. The 34-year-old is also only one scalp away from 400 Test victims and will be keen to prove his detractors wrong.