'We’re not out to win hearts': Pat Cummins backs Aussie smiling assassins
When the Australian Test team takes the field for the first time in front of home fans this summer, it will be under more scrutiny than perhaps ever before.
Some of it will be for the way they bat, bowl and field against the touring Indians at the Adelaide Oval from December 6, the first match of a four-Test carnival that will have stops in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.
Most of it will be for the way they behave, or go about the business of playing cricket, something that has, or should have, been swiftly redefined since the ball-tampering incident in South Africa that shook the local game to its core.
Already, in an otherwise genial series against Pakistan in the UAE, regulation incidents that would otherwise have gone without so much as a raised eyebrow became cause for debate.
When Pakistan pair Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq had a mid-pitch meeting, not noticing the ball had stopped short of the fence, Tim Paine quite rightly whipped off the bails to effect a run out. Was that in the spirit of the game? Of course it was. But from now on, the question will be asked, time and again.
The players know it, as well. With reviews into what sort of cricketing culture prompted some of the nation's leading players, the captain among them, to condone the use of sandpaper to rough up a ball, the onus is on Australia's cricketers to not only perform, but do it in the right manner.
"I think we have to [think about it] now – there is so much responsibility that comes with wearing the baggy green," says fast bowler Pat Cummins, who will be a central figure during the summer. "So that sort of thinking does have to come into it.
"As a kid, when I grew up, I wanted to see the players play hard, aggressive cricket, never give up and stay in the game as long as they can. But I also loved when the players were smiling and looking relaxed and as if they are having some fun out there. So hopefully it’s a combination of those things: playing some good, hard cricket, but hopefully doing it with a smile on our face.
"We’ve got a good mix of personalities in the team – some are smilers, some aren’t – but I can tell you everyone is looking forward to the summer and will be doing their best."
Cummins, who will make his return to the international stage in the upcoming one-day international series against South Africa, was one of the feel-good stories of last summer, finally overcoming his seemingly endless run of injuries to be a constant presence in the pace battery against England. He ended the series as Australia's leading wicket taker with 23 scalps at 24.65. At last, he had not only arrived, but managed to linger around.
Injury held him back from the two-Test series against Pakistan, but he has treated the minor stress fractures in his back with the utmost caution, hoping to once again feature in not just every Test this summer, but every match involving the Australians.
"With back injuries, if you don’t get them right they can hang around for a while," he says. "This one has healed perfectly and we took a conservative route on it.
"Hopefully it’s something I don’t have to think about. I’ve started to play a bit of cricket, so now it’s about trying to find form and be ready. Hopefully I can play all the Tests.
"The thing I was really lucky with during the Ashes was no injuries, no niggles, so I could finally just concentrate on my bowling and doing the job I needed to do. Hopefully that all stays the same this summer."
After what he's been through with his body, Cummins would never wish to conjure any sort of injury. But the time out of the game came as a welcome break as he treated himself to a mental and physical freshen-up.
"It was about 18 months of flat-out cricket, up until the end of the South Africa tour. It was a nice chance to break and reflect on what happened over the past few months," Cummins says.
"Some years, you miss six months and you miss an Ashes and a World Cup. I would have loved to play more, but I’ve seen it as a break where I can get stronger and fitter and ready for the next big 18 months of cricket."
Some of that contemplation has been about what Australian fans want to see from their cricket team and what sort of values need to be restored under the leadership duo of captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer.
Cummins made it clear this summer wasn't going to be one extended publicity campaign trying to win back the hearts of the disenchanted. But he hopes the regulars return and take some pride in the way the Test team plays.
"Missing a few key parts, the team might have a slightly different feel and look to it," Cummins says. "Hopefully we will have the same fans that come out and support us every summer.
"We’ll just try to win, play with a smile and play the right way. Hopefully we make a few people proud. We’re not out to win anyone’s hearts, we’re just out there to do our thing and make Australia proud."
Cummins hadn't played a Test at home before last summer, but has already emerged as a potential leadership option for Australia in the future. After years in the wilderness he has all of a sudden become a senior figure in the squad.
"You don’t really try to do it, it’s just in the last couple of years, the bowlers have been a fairly consistent group," he says. "The guys that play across a few different formats and are there for most of the tours naturally become senior players in the team.
"Informally, maybe it happens. I’m not out to be a leader or do anything like that. I just try to rock up and do my best each day."
The Australians will try to get the India Test series off to a good start without the safety net of the Gabba, which lost hosting rights to open the summer to the Adelaide Oval, which will be a traditional day format instead of a pink ball match.
For the fast bowlers, it's an obvious handicap, given their affinity with a Brisbane pitch that won't see a red ball until a day-night Test against Sri Lanka in January.
But there may be salvation in the west. Cummins has heard encouraging things about the pace and bounce of the new Perth Stadium wicket with that shiny new venue now taking over from the old WACA.
"It’s going to be different being away from the Gabba for the first Test and also not a day-night Test in Adelaide," he says. "We’ve had great Tests there for the past few years.
"I don't know much about the Perth wicket, but I’ve been told it’s quick. For the last couple of years, the WACA hasn’t had that same pace and bounce and the Perth Stadium might bring that. Hopefully we can have that for the Test match. That’s what I want to see as a fast bowler. I think everyone wants to see a fast, bouncy deck in Perth."
A bit of perspective goes a long way in a global game. Australia may be under pressure from their own fans, but Indian players constantly live with intense scrutiny.
"India bring a different dynamic whenever you play them," Cummins says. "I always think ‘there’s a billion people back home watching them’. They are so hard to beat in India, but they are travelling really well.
"It’s going to be a tough series, but I can’t wait for it to get started. You want to challenge yourself against the best, and they certainly have some of the best in the world."
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