Pat Cummins has spent enough time leading Australia’s cricket team to know that every challenge is an opportunity, whether it’s bowling under pressure or coming back from injury. “Yeah, recovery is going well,” he says, speaking to The Indian Sun. “I managed to have a bit of a break off bowling and running and kind of any kind of force in the ankle. So, yeah, lots of rehab, lots of funny ankle exercises, but getting back into bowling this week, so should be fine for the IPL.”
Australia’s recent Champions Trophy performance has him optimistic. Beating England is always satisfying, and he praises his teammates for their effort. “Mate, they were amazing,” he says. “350, wicket looked really good, but to chase that down quite convincingly was a top effort. Josh Inglis was amazing, Alex Carey, Matty Short, Maxwell, a few other guys shifted in around Joshy, but boys were fantastic. England are a good side, beating them is always nice. So, it sets us up well for the rest of the tournament.”
His pick for the semi-finals? “Good question. I mean India, I’m guessing, are already in there. Obviously, Australia, I’ve got to pick. I think probably South Africa and maybe New Zealand.”
The clash with South Africa has history, and Cummins knows it’s never a straightforward contest. “Had some wonderful battles with them over the years,” he says. “Amazing match in Kolkata, semi-final of the 2023 World Cup. That was the last time we played them in an event. Yeah, two teams that play very similar styles. Got some hard-hitting batters, got some fast quick bowlers. So, I think it’s going to be a wonderful match.”
Reflecting on the recent Border-Gavaskar series, the Australian skipper acknowledges its importance. “The last few times we played India, they’ve won the series and we knew there was a lot riding on this. And after a tough start in Perth, to claw our way back convincingly was just so satisfying.”
Crowds were a huge part of that summer. “So many people throughout the summer said that’s the best summer of cricket they’ve ever watched. They absolutely loved it and Boxing Day was sold out for a few other days. SCG was sold out every day. The crowd’s just fantastic all summer long.”
The World Test Championship final looms, and Cummins is eager to defend the title. “It’s been something we’ve really talked about and played towards throughout the last couple of years of Test matches. We obviously won last time, so to defend that would be huge for our Test group. It’s coming up against South Africa, we haven’t played a lot in Test cricket over the last few years, so there’s a few unknowns there, but we’ve played a lot in England.”
Cummins speaks candidly about the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, a day etched in Australian cricket history. “There’s two ways to go about it. You can be overawed by the situation and India were undefeated, they’re playing their home ground. You know, so many things felt like it was falling into place for India. Or you can kind of think that you’ve got nothing to lose. We spoke about finishing the match with no regrets and think back. Look forward 10 years’ time, how would you want to look back and remember how you played this game?”
The moment came together beautifully. “Winning the toss, changing some of the bowling around and the batters being super aggressive. It was just one of those days where everything came together beautifully.”
Asked about the most difficult batsman he has bowled to, he doesn’t hesitate. “I’d say, I think AB de Villiers at his peak was tough in all formats. He had all the gears, so even in a Test match you felt like he could defend. The odds weren’t in his favour and it was really hard to get out, but then suddenly if he’s batting with the tail he could flick a switch and hit any ball that he wanted for six. So, he was always hard work.”
Cummins is no stranger to introspection, which is clear in his book Tested. “I took a lot out of that process of meeting the interviewees,” he says. “I think one overarching idea that stuck with me was that a lot of these people have really taken control of their own life and their own destiny. I think that’s a lesson for anyone. You don’t need some big event for you to have agency over your life and try and take it in a direction that you’d want it.”
Thinking ahead, he’s fascinated by how the sport will evolve. “I loved the idea of looking forward 20 years, what’s our sport going to be like? And it’s going to be better in certain ways – how can we try quicken up that process? What things can we be changing right now, which the sport is just going to take for granted in 10, 20 years?”
Beyond cricket, he’s keeping an open mind. “We all see our teammates who retire and suddenly you go from travelling 10 months a year to now you’re home for basically 12 months a year. So, I think everyone’s always thinking about it. It is hard to shift from something you’ve been doing for a decade to something totally new. For me personally, there’s lots of things that I find really interesting. So, there’s kind of in the business world that really interests me.”
Charity work is also on the radar. “Obviously, I still love cricket, so the cricket world, yeah, I’ve got a few charities that I look after, who I’m involved with, so that as well. I think there’s a few different ideas floating around, but I think I’ve travelled so much I think once I finish cricket, spending a bit more time at home with the family and being part of exciting projects with exciting people.”
And while Call of Duty days may be behind him—“Now with two kids, I’ve got no chance of getting anywhere near Call of Duty, unfortunately,” he laughs—there’s plenty on the horizon.
This article was written by Nav Ganesh in collaboration with The Indian Sun. Nav Ganesh is the founder of Infinity Cricket, a passionate cricket enthusiast and entrepreneur.
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