Ashes 2021-22 | Ashes series win is just the beginning, opines Pat Cummins

01/17/2022

Pat Cummins believes that the Ashes series win is the beginning of 'something big' as they eye away wins required to be the best side in Test Cricket. Cummins also added that the squad is in a really good place and is well suited to play in the tours to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, and England.

Pat Cummins had a dream start to his captaincy as Australia won the Ashes 2021-22 by a scoreline of 4-0. They were a dominant force throughout the series as most of the players chipped in with important contributions at crucial junctures. The team will now celebrate their win before the start of white-ball series against New Zealand later this month.

Australia are placed second in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with a percentage win of 86.66. The team will tour India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka in this cycle. Cummins believes that the Ashes series win is the beginning of something big heading into the away tours. He also added that the side is well suited for the challenge.

"To be the best side in the world you have to win at home but, almost more importantly, you need to be successful overseas," Cummins said in Hobart.

"We haven't played a whole lot overseas in the last couple of years. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India next year, England - it's all really foreign conditions. That will be our challenge. I feel we are really well suited with a squad of 15 plus extras, who aren't here and can offer a lot in those conditions. This is hopefully the beginning. I feel we're all in a really good place.

"There's no imminent retirees, so hopefully we're building something big the next few years."

Australia are scheduled to tour Pakistan from March 3 for three Tests and four limited-overs matches. Karachi will host the series opener and the surface will be pretty different than the pitches in Australia. Cummins opined that they are a brave team and will take the positivity from winning Ashes.

"The way we played on day one, we were 3 for 12 in quite foreign conditions to what we normally expect in Australia - green seaming wicket," he said.

"The way Marnus , Trav Head, Cameron Green took on the game was a really good template for any conditions that are really foreign. "We can be the type of team that are brave enough to take that positivity overseas if we need to. That puts us in a great place...I'm really excited about the upcoming Pakistan tour."

Cummins might participate in the IPL auction for the upcoming season which will be surrounded by tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Speaking about managing the workload, he said that the player should be aware of how to manage the workload.

"No advice for anyone else. You've got to be aware of it [workload concerns]. It could be a lot of time on the road. Some people manage that better than others,” he concluded.

"You have to know what you're signing up for. It could be a longish winter but the last couple of winters have been quiet at home."