Pat Cummins' Captaincy Was Brilliant, His Bowling Was Outstanding - Tim Paine

Former Australian skipper Tim Paine was in awe of Pat Cummins’ brilliant captaincy and performance in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023. He said that he was brilliant in the entire game and had done his homework perfectly well.

Pat Cummins as a bowler and leader was exceptional in the final of the ICC World Cup 2023. He was spot on his bowling and he provided his team with crucial breakthroughs and put India under tremendous pressure. The captain removed Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli, which potentially put India on the back foot.

Apart from his bowling, Pat Cummins displayed exceptional leadership skills and made brilliant bowling changes. He also earned a lot of praise for his magnificent field placements in the game. Australia saved around 20-25 runs in the field, which was the difference in the end.

Tim Paine admitted that Pat Cummins surprised many back gone when he opted for field first. He also highlighted the field placements he had kept for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Speaking to Sen Tassie, he explained:

“When we won the toss I think Pat Cummins shocked everyone a bit with the call to bowl first. Bowling first was the first call. Then when we were bowling, you could see the homework that went into it. The fields we had early to Rohit Sharma, that deep point, slip and Glenn Maxwell at like a fly slip.
“Then to change that around as soon as they saw the wicket was a bit slower and the ball got older to Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, at times we went with four guys on the off side and no cover. I haven’t seen that in one-day cricket.”

I thought Pat Cummins had one of the great games as the captain – Tim Paine

Tim Paine further lauded Pat Cummins, saying that he had a great game as a captain as well as despite not having a great tournament. He added that he’s one of those players who steps up in big games. He explained:

“I thought Pat Cummins had one of the great games as the captain and then when he bowled, that’s as good as I have seen him for a while. He hasn’t had his best World Cup, but last night, and we’ve spoken about this a lot, Australia has players who stand up in the big moments because they’ve been there before and Cummins did that not just with his leadership, but with the ball.

When he went full speed, he was hitting the wicket hard and I thought he set the tone. His captaincy brilliant, his bowling was outstanding and we were brilliant in the field as well.”

Pat Cummins will now be heading home and will prepare for the Test series against Pakistan.