Cummins named Australia's new Test captain

2 years ago 331

Pat Cummins has been confirmed arsenic the newest skipper of the Australian Test cricket team.

The NSW speedy was confirmed arsenic skipper by Cricket Australia connected Friday afternoon, and helium volition pb the squad astatine the Gabba successful the archetypal Ashes Test successful little than 2 weeks.

Steve Smith volition instrumentality to a enactment role, being named the caller vice-captain.

Cummins, 28, becomes the 47th antheral to pb the Australian Test side, taking implicit from Tim Paine, who resigned past week. He'll go the archetypal gait bowler to pb Australia since Ray Lindwall successful 1956.

He has been 1 of the cardinal members of Australia's bowling onslaught implicit the past fewer years, racking up 34 Test appearances since a debut arsenic a teen successful 2011.

After an injury-plagued fewer years, helium returned to the nationalist broadside astir 5 and a fractional years later, and has been a mainstay ever since.

"I americium honoured to judge this relation up of what volition beryllium a monolithic Ashes summer," Cummins said successful a statement.

"I anticipation I tin supply the aforesaid enactment Tim [Paine] has fixed the radical successful the past fewer years.

"With Steve and I arsenic captains, a fig of precise elder players successful this squad and immoderate large young endowment coming done we are a beardown and tightly knit group.

"This is an unexpected privilege which I americium precise grateful for and americium precise overmuch looking guardant to."

The quality comes aft Tim Paine announced earlier contiguous that helium would not beryllium remaining successful the squad successful immoderate capacity, contempt primitively saying helium would stay successful the squad arsenic a wicketkeeper, contempt nary agelong being captain.

Smith makes his instrumentality to a enactment relation aft being stripped of the captaincy pursuing the 2018 sandpaper scandal.

"I americium pleased to instrumentality to the enactment of the squad and look guardant to helping and assisting Pat successful immoderate mode I can. Pat and I person played unneurotic for a agelong time, truthful we cognize our respective styles well," Smith said.

"We are besides large friends, arsenic is the full group. As a team, we privation to play good, affirmative cricket and besides truly bask each other's company. They are breathtaking times up arsenic we absorption connected the Ashes and beyond."

Nathan Lyon gave a ringing endorsement of his authorities teammate becoming the caller skipper erstwhile helium was asked connected Thursday.

"Playing nether Pat astatine NSW cricket successful a one-day acceptable up past year, I deliberation helium did a truly bully job," helium said.

"I cognize it's going to beryllium a antithetic kettle of fish, but he's got a batch of elder players astir him to enactment him if helium gets the nod."

Cummins himself was asked astir enactment aspirations past week, saying determination would beryllium nary issues astir juggling the work of spearheading the bowling onslaught arsenic good arsenic making tactical decisions.

"If I was successful the relation and I recovered it tough, astatine times, there's 10 different guys I'd thin connected retired successful the middle," helium said.

"You've got radical similar Smithy and Davey Warner who are incredibly experienced, each the bowlers are experienced and look aft themselves beauteous good truthful I'd person nary issues handballing it implicit to different radical to assistance out."

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