Pat Cummins announced as Australia's ODI captain on rotational policy
Cricket Australia has put all captaincy rumours to rest by announcing Pat Cummins as the skipper in ODIs in the wake of Aaron Finch's retirement. The pacer will be leading the team in major tournaments and series while vice-captain Alex Carey is expected to take over in the other matches.
Pat Cummins is set to extend his duties as the captain of the Kangaroos after Cricket Australia announced that the right-arm quick will be leading the side in One Day Internationals as well. The 29-year-old had taken over the red-ball captaincy last year following Tim Paine's indefinite break from cricket and is now all set to follow in Aaron Finch's footsteps in the shorter format of the game. The new skipper has a big challenge at hand not long after his appointment with the ICC World Cup scheduled to be held in India next year.
“Pat has done an excellent job since taking on the captaincy of the Test side and we look forward to him leading the one-day team to the 2023 World Cup in India,” National Selector George Bailey was quoted saying by news.com.au.
However, given Cummins' presence in all formats of the game, the pacer will be expected to take occasional rests from minor ODI events, where vice-captain Alex Carey will deputise for him as stand-in captain. Previously, David Warner had been touted for the role of captain by both Finch and Cummins, but his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal in 2018 and the ensuing captaincy ban ensured he is not eligible for the role. Nevertheless, the ban has been reported to be for a period of four years and the opener might get a chance to lead the team should both Carey and Cummins be unavailable at some point.
Australia's next ODI assignment post the ongoing World T20 is a three-match series against England at home starting November 17.