Pat Cummins silences captaincy critics, cements generational legacy with World Cup win

Australia owes Pat Cummins an apology.

Cummins is only 30 years old but he might have already secured his cricketing legacy as the captain of a generational Australian side that has finally fulfilled its potential.

Beating a previously undefeated India in the final of the World Cup against all the odds will go down as the greatest victory of the Cummins era and cement the team’s status as one of the greatest of the modern era.

The Aussies became the first non-host nation to win the World Cup since Australia did it in 2007.

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It was looking very bleak and the knives were out for Cummins after Australia were thrashed by India and South Africa in their first two games.

But led by Cummins, the Aussies flicked a switch and went on to win their next nine games in a row to win the whole thing.

Cummins took a gamble by choosing to bowl first in the final after a World Cup where batting first had proved key to winning games.

But he delivered, claiming the key scalp of Virat Kohli as the entire bowling attack took wickets at key intervals.

Cummins has copped plenty of criticism from some quarters over his stance on climate change, while others are simply convinced a bowler should never captain a cricket team.

Heading into this World Cup, Cummins was relatively inexperienced captaining in 50-over cricket, where bowling changes and field placements occur much faster than Test cricket.

But an epic 2023 has proved everyone wrong. Australia has won the World Test Championship Final, retained the Ashes in England and now won the ODI World Cup.

Australian cricket fans tend to only respect a team when they lift a trophy, and Cummins has done that three times this year.

It’s a different Australian team to the all-conquering one that won an Ashes series in England in 2001 and won 21 ODIs in a row at the start of the century.

While an away Ashes win in England and a Test series win in India has eluded them, the World Cup win ensures this Australian team will be remembered not just as a pretty good team, but a great one.

In comparison, India haven’t won an ICC international trophy since 2011 and England haven’t won an Ashes series since 2015 — a drought that will be a decade long by the time of the next Ashes.

Cummins proves critics wrong

Brett Lee told news.com.au the decision to appoint Cummins captain and Andrew McDonald as coach had been vindicated.

Asked where Cummins now ranks among Australia’s best ever captains, Lee said: “If you look at his stats, he’s definitely right up there.

“A lot of people thought when he was given the captaincy role, ‘Well what’s a fast bowler doing as a captain, it’s too hard’.

“Pat Cummins has shown the reason why it’s important to have someone everyone looks up to. He’s a terrific guy on and off the field. He’s got that calmness about him.

“It actually makes players chilled and relaxed and able to go out there and express themselves as athletes. That’s his best quality, he can allow everyone to play their natural game.”

Lee said the experience and calmness of the Australians was key to beating India.

“A lot of people were writing Australia off after the first two losses,” he said.

“The way they found a way to fight back and get themselves into the competition and then lifted the trophy, it’s just the most amazing feeling.

“This World Cup, considering they got off to a sluggish start — they beat India on their home turf. That to me is the linchpin, they beat India in India in front of 130,000.

“They beat a team that was in amazing form. On paper, India should have won every day of the week. But the Aussies found a way with the Australian culture, that never say die attitude.

“I guess that experience of being in World Cups and having that success. Also the guidance of Pat Cummins as captain. That would have to be up there as one of our best wins ever.

“(I’m) really proud to be Australian today and really proud of Pat Cummins and his team because they’ve done us all proud.”

With a team of players mostly in their thirties entering the twilight of their career, 2023 shaped as a legacy defining year for the Australians.

Victory against all odds in the World Cup final has pushed this from a good spell to a legacy defining year for Cummins and his veteran side.

Glenn Maxwell changed his reputation from the quickfire cameo specialist to bona fide matchwinner.

David Warner, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne all enjoyed excellent tournaments with the bat, while the revered Cummins-Starc-Hazlewood triumvirate stood up when it mattered most.

Cummins has had a rollercoaster of a year. He returned home from the Test tour of India to be with his mother, Maria, before she died.

He also chose not to play in the Indian Premier League, prioritising a massive calendar year of international cricket.

“That’s huge, that’s the pinnacle in cricket, winning a World Cup, especially here in India, in front of a crowd like this,” he said.

“These are the moments you remember for the rest of your life.

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“I’ve obviously had a really big year. I know my family at home is watching, just got a message from dad saying he’s had a lot of 4am wake-ups, not going to bed until 4am, so he’s as pumped as anything.

“You sacrifice a lot to play for Australia and everyone in the team has and we’ve spent a lot of this year away but we do it for these moments.”

“It’s been a big year for everyone, but our cricket team has been here in India, Ashes, World Test Championship and to top it off with this is just huge.”

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