Pat Cummins prepared to captain Australia in all three formats: Michael Clarke

Legendary batsman Michael Clarke thinks Pat Cummins has the capability to lead Australia in all the three formats of the game. In the 2020 Border-Gavaskar trophy, the 27-year-old pacer became the player of the Test series. After the hosts won the first Test match, India bounced back stronger and defeated Australia in the second match to level the series at 1-1. The Men in Blue then battled hard to draw the third game before registering a historic victory in the Gabba.

In all the four matches, Cummins scalped 21 wickets with four four-wicket hauls. No other bowler took more wickets in the series than the Australia pacer. Cummins showed why he is the number one ranked bowler in Test cricket. The former captain, Clarke, feels that Cummins is someone who has always performed his best for his team in critical situations. 

Australia's current Test captain Tim Paine's faced heavy criticism after a recent 2-1 series loss to India in Australia. However, he will continue to lead the side in the upcoming tour of South Africa. On the other end, Australia's limited-overs skipper Aaron Finch had a poor Big Bash League as a batsman and Melbourne Renegades captain. However, the management trusted their senior batsman, and he will lead Australia's T20 team against New Zealand.

I don’t think the management will ask Smith to lead the team: Clarke

Considering Paine's recent form, Clarke believes Cummins is the potential candidate for the captain's role. Clarke further stated that the bowler needs enough support from the senior members of the team management. The veteran batsman also mentioned that the management would not hand over the captaincy to Steve Smith. This is because of the after the ball-tampering scandal in 2018. Clarke also questioned whether Smith would even want to captain the side especially after the recent furore at the SCG. In the third match, he was once again accused of cheating for scratching at the batting guard area during an innings break, while India was batting.

At present, Pat Cummins is ICC's number-one ranked Test bowler. The fact that KKR purchased him for a whopping amount of 15.5 crores shows how much value the pacer carries. In 2011-2012, Pat Cummins debuted as a teenager under Michael Clarke. In his international career, the speedster has already picked up 412 wickets.

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