Australia skipper hints on quitting Test captaincy, says “captaincy have a shelf life”

In the aftermath of winning the World Test Championship and retaining The Ashes, Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, acknowledges that there is still much to learn in his leadership role. Reflecting on the chaotic fourth Test against England, Cummins admits that maintaining a calm environment both on and off the field is crucial and takes responsibility for the team’s shortcomings in this regard.

“Something we speak a lot of as a group, is a calm environment. It’s off the field but on the field as well. Probably wasn’t our best day in terms of that. And that’s my fault. It’s no-one else’s. It’s tough. You’re out there, the wicket’s a flat wicket, the batters are batting well, it’s played at a different pace to pretty much any Test cricket before. You’ve seen similar on the flip side as well with them, having nine fielders out, the whole dynamics is different. It’s good. I love the problem-solving aspect of it. Learnt a lot of lessons from the last game.

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“I think it (captaincy)does have a shelf life. I won’t put a date on it, I’ve got to get there first. I feel like every test match I learn quite a bit, you just get exposed to more things with each game. I’m loving working with this team and the staff. Enjoying it at the moment, we’ll see what the future holds. Feel like with each game, getting better, and I think there’s a fair bit more left in me.

Despite facing a formidable English attack, he remains committed to problem-solving and learning from each game. Looking ahead to the final Test, Cummins expresses the team’s ambition to win the Ashes and further solidify their dominance in Test cricket.

“I don’t think it’s shifted too much over the series, to be honest,” he said. “Think Edgbaston, again that was another moment there wasn’t a lot in it for the bowlers. They scored 400 on day one and I don’t see it as too dissimilar to last week. Think you’ve got to hold your never a little bit sometimes, you’ve got to trust that’s your best percentage to get nicks even if they hit a few cover drives.”

He remains tight-lipped about potential player unavailability but expects injured Mitchell Starc to recover in time. Considering including a spinner at the Oval, Cummins highlights the importance of adapting to different conditions.