Highly touted paceman Patrick Cummins says Australian cricket squad selection has come quicker than he could have ever dreamed.
The 18-year-old speedster has made Australia’s one-day and Twenty20 squads to tour South Africa next month after playing his first senior interstate game just over eight months ago.
He’s played just two one-day and three first-class matches for NSW and has yet to take a single wicket in domestic limited-overs cricket and to play with Australian captain Michael Clarke, despite belonging to the same state.
“I was still a schoolkid last year, just playing cricket on the weekend, it all came faster than I could have ever dreamed, you do have to pinch yourself,”‘ Cummins told AAP over the phone from India.
The speedster is currently getting his first taste of overseas cricket in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, where he is the youngest player across the ten teams.
He’ll then head to South Africa, with hardly any time off, especially if NSW get to the semi-finals and beyond.
“Hopefully fingers crossed we spend a bit more time here in India and if we get to the final, I think it’s straight over there to Africa,” said Cummins, the youngest player ever contracted to Cricket Australia.
“But I’ve never been to either continent, so I guess it’s a good cultural experience.”
Cummins rocketed into the public consciousness last summer, hurling down thunderbolts at close to 150km/hr at the tender age of 17.
He topped the wicket-taking column for the 2010-11 domestic Twenty20 competition and quickly became an integral part of the NSW team which finished runners-up to South Australia.
Wednesday was a huge day for the youngster, who was a pivotal figure in the Blues’ dramatic Champions League match against Trinidad and Tobago just a few hours after his Australian selection was announced.
He took 1-29 with the ball before contributing to the drama in the latter stages of the game in Chennai.
Cummins scored seven off the last three balls to force a tie and a Super Over.
His misfield off the penultimate ball in T&T’s Super Over left them needing just four to win off the final delivery, off which David Warner spared his blushes by taking a catch at long off.
“I think it was probably just about the most exciting and thrilling game I’ve ever played in,” Cummins said.
He’s yet to play a senior game alongside fellow Blues paceman and new Australian teammate Doug Bollinger, who is likely to line up against him for Indian franchise Chennai next week.
He has, however, met many of his new Australian teammates at a camp in Brisbane and is playing alongside some of them for NSW in India.
“They are a rich source of information and it’s a great help playing with them,” Cummins said.
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