Did Australia make a mistake by not appointing Pat Cummins as captain for the ICC T20I World Cup 2024?

[FearlessRoar]

Mitchell Marsh has been appointed captain of the Australian men’s T20I team and will lead the side at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. With a commendable record, having captained Australia in 8 T20Is and lost only 1, Marsh seems a reliable choice. However, considering Pat Cummins' prominent role in recent triumphs, from the ICC World Test Championship 2021-2023 to the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, coupled with his successful stint as captain in the IPL, where his team recently qualified for the playoffs, perhaps Australia should have placed more faith in Cummins' leadership skills for the ICC T20I World Cup 2024.

 

[mominsaigol]

Cummings was bad In t20 in 2022. Regardless Marsh will have Cummings help, these boys support each other. Their is no one captain ruling em all in this unit. They play, they attack, they conquer.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

It's not just about Cummins... it's about the attitude that always makes Australia competitive in mega events. So whoever their captain is, they will play the same way for which they are known.

 

[Rana]

It's not just about Cummins... it's about the attitude that always makes Australia competitive in mega events. So whoever their captain is, they will play the same way for which they are known.

This.

They would rally behind a guy like Mathew Wade even if he is appointed captain

They don’t have issues like ‘Shakhsiyat parasti” in their psychology. Whoever has been appointed leader, they fight for him because they play for the country first.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

It's not just about Cummins... it's about the attitude that always makes Australia competitive in mega events. So whoever their captain is, they will play the same way for which they are known.

Cummins is a great captain no doubt but unlike subcontinent teams there is no player worshipping there.

 

[Rana]

Cummins is a great captain no doubt but unlike subcontinent teams there is no player worshipping there.

Indian legends such as Tendulkar, Dravid and Sehwag rallied behind a newbie like Dhoni.

Champion cricketers respect cricket.

 

[mumtaz]

The issue is Cummins is not an automatic selection for T20.

However, Marsh doesn't seem like someone with that sharp cricketing acumen. I think giving him the captaincy is a mistake. Someone like Head could have been a much better option.

 

[hafizexpress]

These guys are so professional. In Pakistan, this would seem like a high risk move. They trust someone, they appoint him captain, and the whole crew rallies behind him. Even the pundits and local media don't berate the players.

 

[FearlessRoar]

The issue is Cummins is not an automatic selection for T20.

However, Marsh doesn't seem like someone with that sharp cricketing acumen. I think giving him the captaincy is a mistake. Someone like Head could have been a much better option.

After the retirement of Aaron Finch, Australia is in crisis regarding T20I captaincy. It seems Mitch Marsh is not the sharp captain required for a mega event. Maybe Australia will suffer due to this decision. Big fish are waiting for them. Cummins can be used as an all-rounder in this World Cup because he has a batting strike rate of 140 in T20s and bowling strike rate in T20s 20.1 so it's difficult to accept that he is not direct automatic selection. But I remember Cummins once said he is not ready to captain Australia in T20Is.

 

[AAli98]

Are Aus taking this cup seriously? Are they in the mood? If so the rest of the chokers may aswell not turn up.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

These guys are so professional. In Pakistan, this would seem like a high risk move. They trust someone, they appoint him captain, and the whole crew rallies behind him. Even the pundits and local media don't berate the players.

Hopefully Kirsten will bring this culture.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Mitchell Marsh's aggressive batting and all-round skills are just what we can expect from a player in T20, He led the Aussies in 8 games and only lost 1. Plus, having different skippers for different formats ain’t a bad idea, lets Cummins focus on his game and mostly he is well-known for the longer formats. So, Marsh is leading the Aussies in the T20 World Cup sounds like a good plan to me.

 

[mominsaigol]

Are Aus taking this cup seriously? Are they in the mood? If so the rest of the chokers may aswell not turn up.

Their not taking it as seriously.

They'll take 2027 wc and 2025 ct very seriously.

But even a non serious Australia is a top contender.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Pat Cummins seals the league stage with 17 points in IPL 2024.

In his first tournament as a captain in T20 cricket, Cummins has started on a high in the world's best league.

 

[followed]

Pat Cummins is not a good t20 bowler he is not an automatic selection. He has good cricketing mind though.

Hopefully they select Jake mcgurk for the World t20.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Regardless of who the captain is they always hunt in packs. THey always work as a team. That makes them more potent. Australia was never a good T20 side as they have some common weaknesses. In ICC event lot of teams perform below their potential for some reason. It is the sheer pressure i guess. That always keeps Australia in the hunt.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Aussies are a different breed.

George Bailey captained the side for a couple of games in an ODI world cup then got benched when Clarke returned.

Imagine that. Captaining in a world cup then sitting on the bench when the actual skipper returns.

If it was Pakistan the media would have had a field day.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Mitch Marsh is the Cricket Australia project that they've been trying to get off the ground since 2014. For most of his career, Marsh has been a thoroughly mediocre cricketer. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone else that the Australian selectors have given more chances to in the last decade or so despite countless failures in all three formats. However to his credit, he has found some good form in limited-overs in the last few years. 2021 was a banner year for him in T20Is and he sealed the T20 World Cup final for Australia. More recently he did very well in the 2023 World Cup.

So it doesn't surprise me that they made him T20I captain. They've been waiting for him to be the next great Australian cricketer for the decade or so. Funny thing is that in Australia even the 'parchi' cricketers are mentally tough match-winners.

 

[Mamoon]

Australia were humiliated under Cummins in the previous T20 World Cup at home. He does not deserve to lead Australia in another T20 World Cup in spite of the ODI World Cup triumph. Credit to Australia for not letting performances in one format influence selection & strategy in another format.

 

[Mamoon]

Are Aus taking this cup seriously? Are they in the mood? If so the rest of the chokers may aswell not turn up.

Don't get this meat-riding. Are you saying that they were not taking the previous T20 World Cup (at home) seriously and were not in the mood?

It is funny how when Australia win a tournament they are the most clutch and mentally strong team but when they fall short, the excuse is that they were not taking it seriously and were not in the mood.

Cricket fans suffer some serious Australian cricket PTSD because of 1999-2007, and I wonder if they will ever grow out of that mentality.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Australia were humiliated under Cummins in the previous T20 World Cup at home. He does not deserve to lead Australia in another T20 World Cup in spite of the ODI World Cup triumph. Credit to Australia for not letting performances in one format influence selection & strategy in another format.

Cummins was not Australia's captain at the last T20 World Cup; it was Aaron Finch.

 

[mominsaigol]

Australia were humiliated under Cummins in the previous T20 World Cup at home. He does not deserve to lead Australia in another T20 World Cup in spite of the ODI World Cup triumph. Credit to Australia for not letting performances in one format influence selection & strategy in another format.

I agree with Cummings being an average t20 captain but when did he captain a side in a cup?

Bro atleast check cricinfo squad details before commenting. Finch was booted from the team and rightfully sacked afterwards.

What did cumming do? He's a gun odi and test captain and an average t20 captain but he never captained in 2022.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Cummins was not Australia's captain at the last T20 World Cup; it was Aaron Finch.

yup.. he was the captain in ODI world cup 2023

 

[Mamoon]

I agree with Cummings being an average t20 captain but when did he captain a side in a cup?

Bro atleast check cricinfo squad details before commenting. Finch was booted from the team and rightfully sacked afterwards.

What did cumming do? He's a gun odi and test captain and an average t20 captain but he never captained in 2022.

You are correct. My bad.

I have no recollection of Finch after the 2021 World Cup.

 

[Mamoon]

Cummins was not Australia's captain at the last T20 World Cup; it was Aaron Finch.

You are right. I stand corrected.

 

[mominsaigol]

You are correct. My bad.

I have no recollection of Finch after the 2021 World Cup.

It's fine, I get the confusion because Cummings is the face of Australia and he genuinely isn't a great t20 captain which is why he's not captaining the side.

But he never captained a t20 world cup.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

This idiocy of captain winning tournaments should really stop now.
Australia won the CWC 23 bcoz their players peaked at the right time, if Smith was their captain instead of Cummins they still would have won.

This desi mentality of licking a captains boot is idiotic, no onw in Australia cares about the ODI or t20 captaincy, the captain doesn’t get credit for the wins unlike in the subcontinent.

I don’t even remember who was their captain when they won t20 WC.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

The only time I remember when a desi captains boot wasn’t licked after he won a trophy was after Pak won t20 WC under Younis Khan.

Otherwise the likes of Sarfaraz, Khan, Dhoni, Kapil, Ranatunga have been immortalised as if they won the whole cup by their own abilities.

You would never see such behaviour apart from the desi teams

 

[jnaveen1980]

What a fantastic captaincy by Cummins. Reminds me of Gambhir's captaincy in early 2010s. He went with no specialist spinners. Read the pitch accurately. Used the left arm spinners against right handers. Used their full quota. 8-0-47-5 from two part time spinners.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Australia has been working with Mithcell Marsh as a captain for some time now so there is no point in changing the captain at the last moment. Australia is a team that believes in teamwork rather than just trying to be the captain of the aside and play for themselves. There is nothing selfish about them and it not like Pat Cummins could not be the captain before, it is just the process they believe in.

 

[cricketmania22]

What a fantastic captaincy by Cummins. Reminds me of Gambhir's captaincy in early 2010s. He went with no specialist spinners. Read the pitch accurately. Used the left arm spinners against right handers. Used their full quota. 8-0-47-5 from two part time spinners.

But not playing a specialist spinner on Indian pitches and that too in a T20 match is an example of a bad captaincy in itself, no?

 

[BouncerGuy]

But not playing a specialist spinner on Indian pitches and that too in a T20 match is an example of a bad captaincy in itself, no?

It worked for them in the end. Results matter only when it comes to sports. Nobody will criticize you when you win.

 

[cricketmania22]

It worked for them in the end. Results matter only when it comes to sports. Nobody will criticize you when you win.

true, unless you are a Pakistan team’s captain. If Cummins was a Pakistani, no one would have waited till the match was over. As soon as the playing XI was announced, somebody would created a thread here, “Cummins went with no spinner/worst captain ever?” lol

 

[BouncerGuy]

true, unless you are a Pakistan team’s captain. If Cummins was a Pakistani, no one would have waited till the match was over. As soon as the playing XI was announced, somebody would created a thread here, “Cummins went with no spinner/worst captain ever?” lol

It was his strategy to use no specialist spinner and tbh SRH really had no top-class spinner or world reknown one in their squad.

 

[jnaveen1980]

But not playing a specialist spinner on Indian pitches and that too in a T20 match is an example of a bad captaincy in itself, no?

Because of impact sub and markram can bowl and Abhishek can bowl they didn't carry anyone. Eventually it worked right?

 

[jnaveen1980]

true, unless you are a Pakistan team’s captain. If Cummins was a Pakistani, no one would have waited till the match was over. As soon as the playing XI was announced, somebody would created a thread here, “Cummins went with no spinner/worst captain ever?” lol

But the thing is guys they didn't pick was Markhende an okay leg spinner who can't bat, A srilankan rookie who looked nothing special. Among the available spinners including part timers difference was negligible. But they can bat. Eventually Shbaz batting contribution also helped them in the end.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It was his strategy to use no specialist spinner and tbh SRH really had no top-class spinner or world reknown one in their squad.

Exactly. This is called being practiceal. In T20 you look at what does a player bring to the table overall. Batting + bowling + fielding. They had a collapse. They were forced to use extra batsman rather than bowler. Luckily that extra batsman was also a bowler.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Ahead of the IPL 2024 final, SRH Captain Pat Cummins stated in a media interaction:

"Yes, it's been a great couple of years. But I haven't done much T20 captaincy before this, having captained in ODIs helped though."

"I think data analytics play a role but it can take you so far, a captain probably needs to be intuitive. It's actually a balance of information you gather from objective data and your own intuition."

 

[FearlessRoar]

Playing another memorable knock!

 

[Cricket Warrior]

It didn't make any sense that Australia picked Marsh over Cummins even after the successful ODI World Cup.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pat Cummins' Confidence Soars As He Prepares For T20 World Cup 2024

Australia spearhead pacer Pat Cummins, is riding a wave of confidence as he enters the T20 World Cup, feeling that his game is in the best shape it has been in a decade.

Australia spearhead pacer Pat Cummins, is riding a wave of confidence as he enters the T20 World Cup, feeling that his game is in the best shape it has been in a decade. Fresh off a successful stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Cummins joined the Australian squad in Barbados, ready to make his mark. Back in November, ahead of the IPL auction, Cummins had made his intentions clear: he aimed to use the tournament to showcase his abilities and secure his place in Australia's T20 setup. "Probably as well as I have for the last 10 years really," Cummins told cricket.com.au of his T20 bowling on Monday. “We played 17 games straight (at the IPL). For the most part, international T20s are after the Test series, and you've got to try and hit a yorker or a slower ball, and then go back to a Test series."

"So just getting the pace of the game and executing some of those balls that you need more in T20 cricket than in other formats, I feel really well placed,” he added.

Cummins highlighted the importance of sticking to the same format, which he believes makes a "huge difference" to the tactical side of bowling.

"A lot of T20 bowling in particular is about thinking through your sequencing of which ball to bowl or when, and I think over the course of the season you get to learn pretty quickly what's working and what isn't.

"Even if it doesn't work first game, and you feel like it's never going to work every game, but you know that if you zoom out over the course of the tournament it's going to work for you. So it's nice coming in here with that confidence."

His tenure as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad not only polished his bowling skills but also enhanced his leadership credentials. Now, as he dons the Australian colours once more, Cummins is content to take a backseat in leadership, with his good friend Mitchell Marsh stepping up as captain for the T20 World Cup.

"I'm obviously there to help him if he needs me but it's Mitch's show. I'm certainly there to help … as are a lot of the senior guys, so he won't be short of help if he needs it," Cummins said.

Source: NDTV

 

[FearlessRoar]

How beautifully Pat Cummins bowled the death overs against England! Just perfect! He used different variations, mixing fast deliveries of 144 kph with slower balls at 118 kph. This is how we expected Haris Rauf to perform.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

How beautifully Pat Cummins bowled the death overs against England! Just perfect! He used different variations, mixing fast deliveries of 144 kph with slower balls at 118 kph. This is how we expected Haris Rauf to perform.

I hope he does something special tomorrow

 

[AAli98]

Are Aus taking this cup seriously? Are they in the mood? If so the rest of the chokers may aswell not turn up.

Don't get this meat-riding. Are you saying that they were not taking the previous T20 World Cup (at home) seriously and were not in the mood?

It is funny how when Australia win a tournament they are the most clutch and mentally strong team but when they fall short, the excuse is that they were not taking it seriously and were not in the mood.

Cricket fans suffer some serious Australian cricket PTSD because of 1999-2007, and I wonder if they will ever grow out of that mentality.

I think they’re taking it seriously

 

[Hyder]

I think they’re taking it seriously

They always take it seriously. Its just a fan made argument when aus doesnt perform that they arent taking it seriously.

 

[Mamoon]

I think they’re taking it seriously

They take every tournament seriously. Like everyone else. They are professionals.

When they don’t win, it is not because they didn’t take it seriously. It is because they got beat like other teams do when they don’t win tournaments.

 

[BouncerGuy]

No mistake was made by not making Cummins the captain. Australia is pretty serious when it comes to their team so there is a whole thought process involved behind such decision. They are not PCB.

 

[AAli98]

They take every tournament seriously. Like everyone else. They are professionals.

When they don’t win, it is not because they didn’t take it seriously. It is because they got beat like other teams do when they don’t win tournaments.

2019 they & Langer openly said ashes is our priority.. 2015 2021 & 2023 they made sure they won the cups.

 

[Mamoon]

2019 they & Langer openly said ashes is our priority.. 2015 2021 & 2023 they made sure they won the cups.

That doesn’t mean that they deliberately underperformed or did not give their best to win the World Cup. They did and they got thrashed by England in the semifinal. So it was a case of not being good enough to win the World Cup rather than not having interest to do so.

Australia were actually very good in the World Cup. In fact, they were the best team and beat England in the league stage before they lost to South Africa in the final league game and ran into a red hot England in the semifinal who who were full of confidence after beating New Zealand and India in must win games.

Generally, winning the Ashes in England and winning a Test series in India would be the ultimate prize for Australia because these are two achievements that they have not been able to achieve for a very long time, so it isn’t surprising that they would prefer winning in England and India over a World Cup.

 

[cricketcricket79]

No mistake was made by not making Cummins the captain. Australia is pretty serious when it comes to their team so there is a whole thought process involved behind such decision. They are not PCB.

Agreed. Look at every Aussie. They do not care who they play under either. Everyone seems to try their best to raise their games when they are playing for Australia. Maxwell is prime example. He goes to another level when playing for Australia.

I love their mentality and they don’t get bogged down with politics around captaincy or not like the subcontinent teams do. Pakistan take the captaincy politics to stratosphere levels.