AUS vs ENG: Damien Fleming Names Pat Cummins' Replacement As Captain; Calls For Cameron Green's Axing

Former Australia National Cricket Team pacer Damien Fleming has named a potential replacement for Pat Cummins as skipper of the Test team. He has also called for Cameron Green to be axed ahead of the fifth and final Test of the Ashes 2023.

The Pat Cummins-led Australia have successfully retained the Ashes urn after the rain-ruined Manchester Test. Heading into the Ashes finale, Australia are 2-1 up in the series and a victory in the last Test will help them register their first series win on English soil in 22 years.

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Although Australia have retained the Ashes, questions have been raised over Pat Cummins’ captaincy in the series. Some also feel that Cummins being a fast bowler is not the right candidate to lead the team in the longest format of the game for a long period.

However, Damien Fleming has opined that Cummins has every ingredient of a good captain, but he needs to be assisted by his deputy Steve Smith.

“I saw signs at Headingley that I didn’t like and that was Steve Smith fielding at backward square leg,” Fleming said on Whateley as quoted by SEN.

“Steve Smith is helping on the field and that has to happen, but Cummins was bowling and I’m going okay well who’s setting the field then? Smith can’t field at backward square leg if he’s the fielding captain.”

“Off field, Andrew McDonald and the coaching staff have set most of their plans pre match and that has negative connotations,” Fleming said.

“Cricket’s always about weighing up your game plan against what the batting is doing at that specific moment and how the pitch is playing. The field for me at Old Trafford just went to a set plan that had already gone past them, England were batting in a different way and the pitch was flatter than they (Australia) expected.”

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Travis Head could be a possible option – Damien Fleming on replacement of Pat Cummins

Damien Fleming further named star batter Travis Head as Cummins’ potential replacement for Test captaincy. The former Aussie quick claimed that Head could be an ideal candidate considering his captaincy experience with South Australia.

“There’s a finishing line, and only he’ll know, I want him to keep doing it (captaining),” Fleming said.

“I don’t know who it goes to, Steve Smith is already questioning how long he’ll play for, Travis Head could be a possible option he has captained South Australia since a young age. I think 3-4 years is ideal for an Australian captain and in an ideal world, Cummins does it for a couple of years and looks to retain the Test championship.”

Damien Fleming also backed Todd Murphy to replace Cameron Green in the playing XI for the fifth Test. He feels that the surface at the Kennington Oval will assist spinners and the Aussies need to have a genuine spin bowler in the team.

“I think Murphy just has to come in, The Oval tends to help the spinners especially in the second innings,” Fleming said.

“With my Australian cap on I’m backing us, but there’s a bit of trepidation. Even if he can’t bowl, he (Marsh) plays as a batter, he’s in now,” Fleming said.

“The way that Mitch Marsh is playing is the way we want Cam Green to play… if everyone’s fit, it’s just Murphy in for Green.”

Murphy played his first Ashes Test at the Headingley in Leeds after Nathan Lyon got ruled out of the Ashes due to an injury. He bowled just 7.3 overs in the first innings and 2 overs in the second innings. Todd Murphy was left out of the playing XI for the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester as Australia opted to go with three frontline seamers and two all-rounders in Green and Mitchell Marsh.

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