Cricket Australia on Tuesday confirmed that fast bowler Pat Cummins would take charge of their men’s one-day team, making him the 27th ODI captain. Cummins will replace Aaron Finch, who recently announced his retirement from 50-overs cricket.
Opening batter David Warner was not eligible for the role due to his lifetime ban from leadership positions following the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town.
It was recently reported that Cricket Australia is looking to make a change in its code of conduct which would make the southpaw eligible for captaincy, but no such decision was made in the recent meeting.
Meanwhile, Cummins’ appointment was made despite concerns over his workload, with the 29-year-old being rested from limited-overs games in recent years.
The selectors have made a call thinking of next year’s ODI World Cup, giving Cummins leadership duties for a full year before the tournament.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed playing under Finchy and have learnt an enormous amount from his leadership. They are significant shoes to fill although we are extremely fortunate to have a one-day squad with a huge amount of experience,” Cummins was quoted as saying in a Cricket Australia media release.
Commenting on the appointment, the Chairman of Selectors George Bailey said: “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.”
Australia will lock horns with England in a three-match ODI series soon after the ongoing T20 World Cup. They will next play host to South Africa in January next year.
