18 yr old Aussie sensation, Pat Cummins

Another tearaway waiting to pounce

Pat Cummins, just 18yrs old, has been named in Australia’s squad for the two-Test tour of South Africa and will be Australia’s second-youngest Test player of all time, behind Ian Craig, if he wins a baggy green. The first test starts in Cape Town on Nov 9.

Cummins has played only 3 first class matches till now but he has already shown the explosive ability to clock in excess of 150kmph. For a young boy, who will grow more and gain more physical strength and fitness, such signs are indeed promising. And his showing in the 2 T20 games that just concluded, was indeed praise-worthy and it gained a lot of notice from the men that matter.

These 2 T20s provided confirmation of what the selectors had felt when they made Cummins the youngest-ever holder of a Cricket Australia contract. Cummins returned figures of 3 for 25 and 2 for 26, encouraging the call to keep him on tour.

Cummins has already earned the praise of seniors in his team, as Shane Watson and Cameron White believe he has it in him to serve Australian cricket for long with his level head and maturity that belie his age.

With the general Aussie trend of players making their debuts only in their late 20s, this sudden limelight on Cummins comes as a happy surprise. The Aussies have started to appreciate the value of youth. They have quite a few youngsters in their setup who have all been exposed to the rigors of the international game quite early (Steve Smith, Trent Copeland, James Pattinson to name a few).

But, Cummins complements the lead pacers Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson better and so, he has been fast-tracked into the setup ahead of the likes of Pattinson. Cummins will compete for a place in the final eleven with Copeland. He will not get his debut on a platter. It is definitely worth giving this young kid a shot at the Proteas on tracks that won’t be much different from the tracks back home. Both the Newlands and Wanderers tracks are known for their pace and bounce and young Cummins would be licking his lips in anticipation.

And with Mitchell Johnson’s recent promise in the Sheffield Shield games back home, the Aussies would be expecting their lead pacer to be well warmed up for these 2 Tests against one of the world’s formidable teams. Johnson was a major factor in the 2-1 triumph on the Aussies’ previous tour of South Africa in 2008-09.

As the Aussies attempt to resuscitate their position as the Test no.1, a young tearaway (on the lines of Brett Lee in the late 90s) is a certain value addition and this boy’s progress and contribution to the side will well determine the pace of Australia’s recovery as they are on the path to rebuilding.