Cummins bolts into Test team for South Africa tour
Editor Speedster Patrick Cummins has impressed the Australian selectors in the Twenty20 in South African to replace James Pattinson in the only change to the fifteen-man Test squad for the two-match Series against South Africa.
The squad is: Michael Clarke (c), Shane Watson (vc), Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle.
National Selection Panel Chairman Andrew Hilditch said:
“The Test squad for South Africa is very similar to the squad that played so well on the recent successful tour of Sri Lanka.
“The squad has a very good balance of experience and exciting young talent.
“While playing South Africa on their home soil is one of the hardest assignments in world cricket, it will be a very exciting challenge for this new-look Test side after it played excellent cricket to win the Sri Lankan series last month.”
“The only change to the squad is that Patrick Cummins replaces James Pattinson.
“James is very unlucky to miss selection. He is a very good young fast bowler who has done well in his limited opportunities at international level to date.
“We’re sure he’ll return to the Bupa Sheffield Shield and place plenty of pressure on those in the Test squad ahead of what is a very demanding domestic summer of Test cricket.
“Patrick Cummins has gained selection ahead of James for this tour.
“Patrick is a very exciting prospect and at just 18 years of age is already showing the ability to have a significant impact at international level.
“Patrick would have most likely been on the tour of Sri Lanka if not for injury at the end of last season.
“Now he’s back fit and bowling well, we saw this as the right time to bring him into the Test squad for this important series.
“We face back-to-back Tests in South Africa ahead of another six Tests in Australia, so managing our fast bowlers through this tough schedule will be extremely important.
“This squad gives us the flexibility to adapt to all conditions and we think gives us the right balance to maximise our chances of winning the series.
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October 17th 2011 @ 2:19pm
Brett McKay said | October 17th 2011 @ 2:19pm | Report comment
I hope we’re not rushing this kid. Super talented, no doubt, but still….
October 17th 2011 @ 9:13pm
post rocky dave said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:13pm | Report comment
I think it’s fair to say he’s being rushed.
October 17th 2011 @ 2:21pm
Ian Whitchurch said | October 17th 2011 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
Its why we need tour games, to blood potentially good young players in foriegn conditions.
October 17th 2011 @ 2:26pm
Justin said | October 17th 2011 @ 2:26pm | Report comment
Is this fair dinkum? He has played 3 first class matches and taken 9 wickets.
Potential is one thing. I am with you Brett, what is the rush????
October 17th 2011 @ 2:58pm
Matt F said | October 17th 2011 @ 2:58pm | Report comment
There’s always one “taken for experience” player on every tour. Pattinson was it for the SL tour but the selectors obviously want him to play shield matches now instead, which is probably a good thing. They’re not intending to play Cummins, though there’s always the potential for an unexpected call up due to injuries (Peter George springs to mind.) It’s only a 2 test series so it would have to be one hell of an injury crisis for that to happen.
October 17th 2011 @ 3:01pm
Justin said | October 17th 2011 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
Yep, good call Matt. I would have thought at this stage Cummins is better off playing Shield also. These young blokes need to be playing cricket and plenty of it at that age.
October 17th 2011 @ 5:48pm
Matt F said | October 17th 2011 @ 5:48pm | Report comment
Its a tough one. On the one hand every game helps his development but on the other hand we’ve seen the amount of injuries that young fast bowlers have faced recently (Starc, Hazlewood etc) so maybe limiting him to 5-6 shield matches this season could be a good thing. Especially given he’ll be playing a fair bit of Ryobi Cup and Big Bash stuff. It’s a tricky balancing act.
October 17th 2011 @ 3:04pm
sledgeross said | October 17th 2011 @ 3:04pm | Report comment
I disagree. Better off identifying young blokes who look likely and give them a go. Im thinking of McGrath, Healy.McDermott etc.
If they have a go when young they can either do well and stay in teh team (Like McGrath), or go back to State cricket and gain experience to be better test bowlers (kaspa and Bichel), or they can fade away liek Scott Mueller!
October 17th 2011 @ 3:54pm
Brendon said | October 17th 2011 @ 3:54pm | Report comment
Ahhhhh, humans and our faulty memories.
Glenn McGrath made his debut in Nov 1993 and it wasnt the West Indies tour starting on Mar 31 1995 that McGrath started to be a world class bowler. Up until that tour his test bowling average was 38 and he struggled to hold his place in the team. Of course people remember Glenn McGrath being a champion from day one. New Zealand, the team McGrath made his debut against, handled him with ease in his first two tests.
And Craig McDermott made his debut against the all conquering West Indies in the 1984/85 series as a 19 year old and had initial succes but by the late 80′s had been dropped well and truly from the test team making his comeback in 1991 where he averaged a very good 26.52 until his retirement as opposed to the 34 he averaged in the 80′s.
Merv Hughes was another who took a few years to develop. He made his debut in Dec 1985 against the drawn home series against India but it was 3 years later at the WACA against the West Indies when he took 13 wickets, including that hat-trick, that he started to develop.
What are the selectors expecting? That Cummins is going to be instantly the next McGrath? Do we have the bowlers around him to support carrying a young, inexperienced bowler? What happens if the experienced South African batting line-up smashes him around the ground?
October 17th 2011 @ 5:55pm
Matt F said | October 17th 2011 @ 5:55pm | Report comment
Very true Brendon. It’s a ryule that applies to any position in the game. Warne was ordinary at first and was surpassed by Macgill for a year or so, though that was a fair way into his career. In fact I can’t remember the last young cricketer, batsman or bowler, to debut for Australia that didn’t get dropped at some point soon after.
Though if we’re realistic, Cummins is the 5th choice quick for a 2 test series. They’re not intending to play him and barring a remarkable injury run he won’t be called upon.
October 17th 2011 @ 6:58pm
Lolly said | October 17th 2011 @ 6:58pm | Report comment
The Aussie selectors are hoping that is exactly what he will do. He’ll do what McGrath could do at age 30. Trouble is, he’s 18 and wasn’t really fit enough to cope with long spells in Shield 8 months ago.
It just seems daft to me. Hilditch spoke about him being a big part of Australia going back to the top. The sooner that man goes the better, it’s appalling the kind of tripe spoken about Cummins already and purely on the back of T20 matches. This kid suddenly has the weight of Australian cricket on his back!
I guess we can just hope that they won’t pick him for the first test but I wouldn’t bet against him being in the first 11 alongside Harris (injury prone) and Johnson (brain failure prone).
October 17th 2011 @ 9:24pm
Andyc said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:24pm | Report comment
It’s also worth remembering that McGrath played One Day International Cricket before his test debut. At one stage Australia used One Day cricket to blood young bowlers and give them a taste of playing in front of big crowds and media scruinty, Damien Fleming and Paul Reiffel are two others who come to mind who followed this route.
I’d like to see Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins and Pattinson etc rotated in the one day side before they are thrown to the wolves at test level.
October 17th 2011 @ 7:57pm
Brett McKay said | October 17th 2011 @ 7:57pm | Report comment
For the trivia buffs:
Cummins was born 8 May 1993.
Ricky Ponting debuted for Tasmania v SA in Adelaide in Nov 1992…
October 17th 2011 @ 9:16pm
Fisher Price said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:16pm | Report comment
Another highly questionable selection, but then they no longer come as a surprise.
Also, how the selectors’ pet Mitchell ‘X-factor’ Johnson be picked ahead of Bollinger is beyond me?
And Michael Beer? Heavens above.
October 17th 2011 @ 9:27pm
Johnno said | October 17th 2011 @ 9:27pm | Report comment
Mitchell Johnson is now 30. Dizzy Gillespie was sacked at 30. Mitch ,watt, and dar ei say that name Pup are now 30. No loner rookies, hard to believe pup and match and watt are now senior players.
ASHES 2005 AND ASHES 2006 and cricket world cup 2007 feel a long long time ago now.
October 17th 2011 @ 10:24pm
AJ said | October 17th 2011 @ 10:24pm | Report comment
It’s the welfare of his body that worries me.I think it’s ok to take him just dont flog him.Set a limit of overs on him and stick to it.
It’s good to see some new faces.Isn’t Hilditch gone yet though?
October 17th 2011 @ 11:08pm
Hooplah said | October 17th 2011 @ 11:08pm | Report comment
I’ll take a wild stab at it, Cummins is from NSW right?
If NSW is so great at cricket, why can’t they do well in Shield cricket? It is afterall the final test.
October 18th 2011 @ 8:51am
Fisher Price said | October 18th 2011 @ 8:51am | Report comment
NSW have won three of the past nine first-class titles.
October 18th 2011 @ 12:38pm
jameswm said | October 18th 2011 @ 12:38pm | Report comment
NSW would do better in Shield cricket if Clarke, Watson, Hughes, Katich, Khawaja, Haddin, Cummins, Copeland, Bollinger etc weren’t playing international cricket and were always available.
Question – where are the selectors from? Not NSW. So a South Aussie, Tassie and Qlder all favour NSW, right?
Typical whingeing – why don’t you worry about developing your own players, like NSW obviously do so well.