When was the last time a bowler was named Australia captain?
Australian pacer Pat Cummins has been named the new captain of the Test side after Tim Paine's unexpected exit earlier today. The 28-year-old will be the 47th skipper to lead the Australian men's side in the longer format.
It has been 65 years since a fast bowler last led the Aussies in Test matches. Ray Lindwall was named as the stand-in captain for the Mumbai Test during the side's tour of India after regular captain Ian Johnson was ruled out with an injury.
However, the bowler got only a single opportunity to be at the helm of the national side. Cummins on Friday became the first pace bowler to be named captain since Lindwall's short reign.
While the right-armer will lead the team for their impending Ashes assignment against arch-rivals England, ex-skipper Steve Smith will serve as his deputy.
The 47th captain of the Australian men's Test cricket team! @patcummins30 🇦🇺 https://t.co/bM4QefTATt
When it comes to white-ball cricket, star leg-spinner Shane Warne captained the side between 1998 and 1999. Notably, he has a fantastic win percentage of 90.91% as skipper in ODIs. He led Australia in 11 50-over matches, in which they ended up on the losing side only on a single occasion.
Tim Paine takes an indefinite break from cricket
The 36-year old wicketkeeper-batsman has decided to step away from the sport for the 'foreseeable future' amidst off-field controversy. Cricket Tasmania confirmed Paine's decision in their official statement:
"Following discussions over the last 24 hours, Tim Paine has advised Cricket Tasmania that he will be taking a leave of absence from all forms of cricket for the foreseeable future. Cricket Tasmania will continue to support Tim and his family both professionally and personally over the summer,"
Cricketing giants Australia and England are all set to play their Test series opener on December 8 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Paine had earlier expressed his desire to continue as a player with the Aussie side after relinquishing the captaincy. However, his participation in the Ashes now seems highly unlikely following recent developments.