Pat Cummins


Patrick James Cummins is an Australian international cricketer who is currently the co-vice-captain of the Australia national team in all formats. He made his Test debut at the age of 18 and plays domestic cricket for New South Wales. Cummins is a fast bowler and a capable lower-order right-handed batsman. In January 2020, Cummins was named as the Test Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council. In April 2020 he was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his performances in the 2019 English season in the 2020 edition of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

Domestic career

Cummins played junior cricket for the Glenbrook Blaxland Cricket Club in the Blue Mountains before playing first-grade cricket for Penrith in 2010. In the preliminary final of the 2010–11 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash against Tasmania, Cummins took 4 for 16 and was named Man of the Match. He finished with Nathan Lyon as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament. In March 2011, he made his first-class debut in a match against Tasmania.
Cummins joined the Sydney Sixers franchise in 2011. He signed with the Perth Scorchers in 2012, but missed the 2012 season due to injury. He made his debut for the Scorchers when they beat the Adelaide Strikers in Perth on 16 January 2014.
Cummins was selected in Australia's provisional team for the ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in Queensland in August 2012.

Indian Premier League

Cummins was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League for the 2014 season.
In February 2017, he was bought by the Delhi Daredevils team for the 2017 Indian Premier League for 4.5 crores. In the 2018 IPL auction, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians for a price of 5.4 crores. Cummins was later ruled out of the entire tournament due to an injury. In the 2020 IPL auction, he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a price of 15.5 crores. He became the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history.

International career

2011 contract and South Africa

Cummins was granted a Cricket Australia contract in June 2011 and in October 2011, he played two Twenty20 International matches for Australia against South Africa. On the basis of his performances in these games, Cummins was selected in the Test squad to play South Africa.
Cummins made his Test debut at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in November 2011, in what was only his fourth career first-class match, becoming Australia's youngest Test cricketer since Ian Craig in 1953. Cummins took 1/38 and 6/79, becoming the second youngest Test cricketer to take six wickets in an innings. He then scored 13 runs in the second innings, including a four to win the match and was presented with the Man of the Match award.

Injuries and domestic return

Cummins' early cricketing career was plagued with injury, primarily a stress fracture in his back. He played his first game since October 2012 for the Northern Ireland Cricket Academy on 19 June 2013.

2015 Ashes

Cummins was a late call-up for 2015 Ashes squad after the retirement of Ryan Harris, but he was not selected for a Test during the series. He was part of the One Day International and T20I series in the same tour.

2017 Test cricket

After 1946 days of absence due to various injuries, Cummins returned to Test cricket on 17 March 2017. He was reselected due to Mitchell Starc's injury.
During the 2017–18 summer of cricket in Australia, Cummins established himself as a handy lower order batsman, scoring two scores in the 40s during The Ashes series. In a warm-up game against South Africa A, Cummins scored his 2nd first-class half century.

2018 South Africa

Cummins scored his first Test half-century in the fourth Test against South Africa during Australia's tour of South Africa in 2017–18.
In April 2018, he was awarded a national contract by Cricket Australia for the 2018–19 season.
He was named in the 2018 Test XI of the year by Cricbuzz as he took 44 wickets that year.

Vice-captaincy

In January 2019, Cummins became one of Australia's two Test vice-captains, alongside Travis Head. He also played in the two Tests of the 2018–19 Sri Lanka tour of Australia and was the chief architect of Australia's innings win over Sri Lanka in the 1st Test at The Gabba with his maiden 10-wicket haul. He finished the series with 14 wickets and was named as the man of the series.
In February 2019, he played in the T20Is against India in that he took 1-19 and 1-40. In ODIs he took 0-48 in the first ODI and 4-29 in the second but not successful with the bat and praised heep on teammate Marcus Stoinis for his performance. He took 3-37 in the 3rd ODI. In the 4th ODI against India in Australia's tour of India, Cummins claimed his best bowling figures in an ODI with 5/70 that India had restricted to 358/9 but Peter Handscomb and Ashton Turner took Australia to largest ever run chase against India.
In April 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. On 6 June 2019, in the match against the West Indies, Cummins played in his 50th ODI. In July 2019, he was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Ashes series in England. Cummins was the leading wicket-taker for the series, taking 29 across 5 matches, at an average of 19.62. Cummins was awarded the Allan Border Medal in 2019.
On 29 February 2020, Cummins took his 100th wicket in ODI cricket, in the first match against South Africa. On 16 July 2020, Cummins was named in a 26-man preliminary squad of players to begin training ahead of a possible tour to England following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Personal life

Cummins grew up in Mount Riverview, in the Blue Mountains with his two brothers and two sisters. He attended St Paul's Grammar School and is an Elite Athlete Program scholar and Bachelor of Business student at the University of Technology, Sydney. As a child he idolised Brett Lee, with whom he later briefly played domestic and international cricket.
In 2011, during an interview with cricket.com.au, Cummins revealed that, at the age of three, he lost the top of his middle finger on his right hand when his sister accidentally slammed the door on it.