Should Australia drop Pat Cummins from their playing 11 at the 2023 World Cup?

Pat Cummins and Australia are caught in a rough spot early into their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign with twin defeats under their belt so far. The Aussies are ranked dead last in the table following defeats to India and South Africa, and more so than the losses, it is the nature of their performances that have been quite alarming.

Australia have not been able to cross the 200-run mark in the tournament so far, and their bowling has also been sub-par at best. A brief spell with the new ball against India, where they reduced them to 2-3 comes across their lone bright spot so far.

The five-time World Champions just have too many fires going on simultaneously and are struggling to put it out. Their preparation was not ideal coming into the tournament as they lost five ODIs in a row before picking up a consolation win in the third ODI against India at Rajkot.

Australia already shifted to a state of panic after the defeat against India in Chennai to name two changes to their playing XI. It's suffice to say that the combination did not work out against South Africa as they suffered one of their worst defeats in the World Cup. Adam Zampa's poor form coupled with the lack of options in the squad is another headache that the team has to deal with.

It is never a good sign when a captain's place in the side is questioned. However, in Pat Cummins' case, it is certainly worse, since both his performance as a leader and bowler is being heavily criticized.

As far as his bowling credentials are concerned, Cummins unfortunately, comes across as a third-choice white-ball seamer in subcontinent conditions. Josh Hazlewood is the No. 2-ranked ODI bowler in the world while Mitchell Starc's display speaks for itself, leaving Cummins out in the shadows.

Similarly, his white-ball captaincy has been sub-par at best. He has won the Ashes urn as well as the World Test Championship (WTC) as a red-ball captain but is struggling to find his feet as an ODI skipper. Experience is an area where he is lacking, having only led in six ODIs in his career.

Michael Clarke dropped a bombshell while speaking on Sky Sports Radio ahead of Australia's clash against Sri Lanka.

"I heard last night that Pat Cummins is not going to be selected for this game. We’ve dropped our wicketkeeper... who is one of the most important people in your squad. So he got one game and got dropped," he said.

"Now there’s talk we’re going to drop our captain. If Alex Carey is only given one game, he shouldn’t be in India. They shouldn’t have taken him. If Pat Cummins is going to get dropped and not captain the team, then you guys have selected the wrong captain," Clarke added.

Cummins was heavily criticized for his defensive captaincy in the 2023 Ashes and he is certainly not winning any admirers with his leadership in the World Cup so far.

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Will Pat Cummins' exclusion from the playing XI solve anything for Australia?

Should push comes to shove, and Cummins is dropped from the playing XI, a question that needs to be asked is whether that makes Australia in any way whatsoever.

Ideally, Australia could have had a second frontline spinner instead of Cummins since they have the likes of Stoinis and Marsh to act as the third seamer. However, that is not the case because the bench is devoid of any spinners.

As a result, the five-time champions can either introduce Alex Carey as an extra batter and a left-handed option or bring in another all-rounder option in the form of either Cameron Green or Sean Abbott. However, any of the aforementioned options does not seem like an upgrade for Australia by any means.

Instead, accepting that they have been dealt a hard hand at the start of the tournament, and aiming to improve might be a better path that Australia can take.

There is no denying that Steve Smith is a better captaincy candidate than Pat Cummins, and while captaincy changes mid-way through a campaign have been witnessed in franchise tournaments, making such a change midway through a World Cup will be a huge call.

Perhaps all of this might just be an overreaction, and the Aussies brigade could be back on the tracks by stringing together one solid all-round performance. And the upcoming clash against Sri Lanka comes across as the perfect venture to do the same.

As a result, the best course of action at the moment should not be taking drastic measures like Cummins' axe, especially since there are no credible options on the bench and the harm it could do to his confidence in the long run.

At the end of the day, although below the pecking order when compared to Starc and Hazlewood, the fact is that Cummins has reputable numbers on subcontinent conditions, and he is bound to be back to his best. Let us also not forget that he is coming off a serious injury, and is still looking for complete rhythm.

When it comes to his captaincy, Australia will have to trust him and expect Smith to aid him as his deputy. Although learning on the job is not ideal while leading a side in the World Cup, it is potentially a grave that Australia dug themselves with bad luck being the shovel.

Should Australia drop Pat Cummins from the playing XI for their clash against Sri Lanka? Let us know what you think.