Pat Cummins: Decoding his achievements as Australia's captain in 2023
2023 will be a year to remember for Pat Cummins who powered Australia to two ICC titles. Under his leadership, the Aussies won the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC Cricket World Cup. He also helped Australia retain the Ashes urn, managing a 2-2 draw in the five-Test series on England soil. Here we decode his achievements as Australia's captain in 2023.
Australia's triumph in WTC final
Australia were sensational under Cummins in the 2021-23 WTC cycle as they finished atop the table. The team met India in the final at The Oval. It was a mere one-sided affair as the Aussies won by 209 runs. Skipper Cummins recorded figures worth 3/83 and 1/55 in the game. He got the key wickets of Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane.
Retention of the Ashes urn
Australia again managed to retain the Ashes urn after managing a 2-2 draw on England soil in June-July. After winning the first two games, the visitors lost the third match. The rain interruption in the fourth Test meant Australia escaped a series-leveling defeat. Though England drew the series with a win in the final Test, reigning champions Australia retained the urn.
Cummins claimed 18 wickets in Ashes
Cummins led the Aussies from the front in The Ashes as he finished with 18 scalps at 37.72. Only Mitchell Starc (23) claimed more wickets in that series among Australian bowlers. Meanwhile, Cummins's tally includes a match-winning 4/63 in the Birmingham Test. In the Leeds Test, he returned with 6/91.
Sixth World Cup title
Cummins's team's journey in the 2023 WC was indeed thrilling as they were once at the bottom of the points table, having lost their first two games. However, they then regrouped and won their remaining seven league games to finish third in the table. They beat South Africa in a low-scoring semi-final before taking down home favorites India in the ultimate encounter.
15 scalps in the tournament
Cummins fared brilliantly with the ball in the WC as he returned with 15 scalps across 11 games at 34.33. He claimed crucial wickets of Virat Kohli (54) and Shreyas Iyer (4) in the final game to finish with 2/34 in 10 overs. In the semi-final, he returned with 3/51. This includes the key wicket of centurion David Miller (101).
Did you know?
Cummins had led Australia in just four ODIs before the WC. The Men in Yellow lost two of these encounters. The side's defeats in the first two WC games meant Cummins lost four of his first six games as Australia's ODI skipper. However, the talisman bounced back and scripted history.
Only team with this feat
Australia are now the only team to win all four ICC titles - the 50-over World Cup, the T20 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and the WTC. They also became the first team to clinch two ICC titles in the same year.
2-0 lead over Pakistan
Notably, Australia are currently hosting Pakistan in a three-Test series with two games being done and dusted. The home team dominated Pakistan and won the first two games comprehensively. While Cummins could manage just three wickets in the opener, he returned with twin five-wicket hauls in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. With 13 scalps, he is currently the leading wicket-taker of the series.
Second-most Test wickets in 2023
Across 11 Tests in 2023, Cummins claimed 42 wickets at 27.50. The tally includes three five-wicket hauls. As mentioned, Cummins claimed twin fifers in his last Test assignment this year, against Pakistan in Melbourne. His other fifer came against England at Leeds. Only his teammate Nathan Lyon (47) has claimed more Test wickets this year.
