Pat Cummins

Patrick James Cummins (born 8 May 1993) is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australia men's national cricket team in Test and One Day International cricket.

Widely regarded as an all-time great fast bowler in Test cricket and one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation, he captained Australia to victories in the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

He is also known for being a handy lower-order batsman.

As of January 2023, Cummins was rated as the number one bowler in the world, according to the ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings.

Cummins played junior cricket for the Glenbrook-Blaxland Cricket Club in the Blue Mountains before playing first-grade cricket for Penrith District Cricket Club in 2010.

That same year, Cummins represented NSW in the National Under-17 championships and later the NSW Under-19 side.

In the preliminary final of the 2010–11 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash against Tasmania, Cummins took 4 for 16 and was named Man of the Match.

He finished as the equal leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

Cummins played the final three matches of the 2010/11 Sheffield Shield season, including the final where he bowled 65 overs for the match.

He was later ruled out of the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe due to a back injury.

Cummins made his Test debut at the age of 18 in 2011.

In March 2011 Cummins made his first-class debut against Tasmania, aged 17.

He returned figures of 2/80.

Cummins was granted a Cricket Australia contract in June 2011 and in October 2011, he played two Twenty20 International (T20I) and three One Day International (ODI) matches for Australia against South Africa, claiming ten wickets and subsequently being selected in the Australian Test squad to play South Africa.

Cummins made his test match debut at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in November 2011, in what was only his fourth career first-class match, becoming Australia's youngest Test cricketer since Ian Craig in 1953, aged 18 years and 193 days.

Cummins took 1/38 and 6/79, becoming the second-youngest test cricketer (behind Enamul Haque Jr.) to take six wickets in an innings.

He then scored 13 runs in the second innings, including a four to win the match and was presented with the Man of the Match award.

After playing through his test debut with a heel injury, Cummins was subsequently ruled out of the entire 2011–12 summer.

Cummins was selected in Australia's provisional team for the ICC Under-19 World Cup to be held in Queensland in August 2012.

Cummins represented Australia in the 2012 T20 World Cup and the Sydney Sixers in the 2012 Champions League, but was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back upon his return to Australia in November, again ruling him out of the 2012/13 home summer.

Cummins returned for Australia A in August 2013, but a recurrence of the stress fracture in his back caused him to miss most of the 2013–14 summer.

He returned to the BBL in January 2014 after working with Dennis Lillee during his layoffs to re-shape his bowling action.

After prioritising white ball cricket during 2014, Cummins was selected in the Australian squad for their successful 2015 World Cup campaign, playing in four matches.

Cummins was a member of the Australian team that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, and was the winning captain of the 2021–23 ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Injuries then forced him out of international cricket until 2015, and out of Test cricket until 2018.

Cummins was a late call-up for 2015 Ashes squad after the retirement of Ryan Harris, but was not selected for a test during the series.

He was part of the ODI and T20I series in the same tour.

During the ODI leg of the tour, Cummins' stress fracture resurfaced and he was ruled out of the entire home summer for the fourth time in five years.

Cummins made his return to domestic cricket in 2016, becoming a key member of the NSW one-day squad and the Sydney Thunder, as he remained fit and played 25 matches in just over 4 months.

On 7 March 2017 Cummins played in the Sheffield Shield for the first time in six years, his last match being the 2011 final against Tasmania.

He bowled 36 overs and claimed 8 wickets.

Despite NSW medical staff recommending a slow and managed return to red ball cricket, Mitchell Starc was ruled out of the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy and Cummins was selected as his replacement for the third test.

After 1946 days (5 years, 3 months and 27 days) of absence due to injuries, Cummins returned to test cricket on 16 March 2017.

He alleviated any fears over his injury history, bowling 79 overs in the final two Test matches.

After the completion of the 2018–19 home cricket season in the Australian summer, Cummins was awarded with the Allan Border Medal in recognition of being the best performing Australian cricketer of the year and was also nominated ICC Men's Test Cricketer of the Year in 2019.

He was appointed as Australia's Test captain on a permanent basis in November 2021.

Cummins grew up in Mount Riverview in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with his two brothers and two sisters.

He attended St Paul's Grammar School.

As a child he idolised Brett Lee, with whom he later briefly played domestic and international cricket.

At the age of three Cummins lost the top of his middle finger on his dominant right hand when his sister accidentally slammed a door on it.