Fast Bowlers as captains. Why not? History and perception, that’s why.
Perception: As a collective, we bowlers aren’t known for our scholarly endeavours. We simply don’t have the intellectual chops to be the skipper. We aren’t handsome enough. Clean enough. Our beards house families of red back spiders. Generally, we are the public-school attendees who throw “n that” and “what not” at the end of their sentences and call a collection of people “youse guys”. As individuals, we listen to thrash metal, most likely played drums in a band, and are the first to take our pants off and wear them as a hat at a party. Importantly, we don’t do the math so good.
Also, we are naturally abrasive, angry, and mad.
In our defence, though, it’s a requirement you are proper MAD to run 120+ 20m sprints, in pants, on a summer’s day, to hurl a chunk of leather at a dude where the longer he’s with you, the more you’ll hate him.
Smug batters, chewing their gum with their mouth open, constantly adjusting their collar to its highest point. GIVE ME THE BALL NOW!!
Can this man captain our Test team? (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
The saddest part for us quickies, is that the pain is inevitable – in game, post-game, post career – ball after bloody ball you know the pain is coming. Eight times your body weight through your front leg/foot at delivery – yet you embrace it. The thing about pain is that it’s not something you can learn to embrace, it’s in your psyche, your DNA, and that’s why you bowl quick.
Fast Bowling is an activity for sadists, who generally make great leaders of cults. Cricket teams, not so much.
History: What we haven’t done is help ourselves, in the formation of that perception.
Examples…
A team bus is driving through the suburb of Randwick, in Sydney, and out the right hand-side window is the Royal Randwick Racecourse. One quickie shouts excitedly “that must be where they run the Melbourne Cup”.
Another fast bowler, from mainland Australia, believed he needed his passport to enter Tasmania.
I honestly couldn’t count the amount of quicks I’ve gone to the beach with, the day before a game, and they’ve been close to withdrawing the following day because of the sunburn they foolishly collected on their backs, shoulders, or feet from wearing thongs.
History suggests us quickies have a knack of getting it wrong.
Occasionally, though, a dashingly handsome quick, with Mensa level intellect and a winning personality, will arrive just to give the fast-bowling brethren a glimmer of hope. Imran Khan was that guy, and more. He’s now the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Wasim Akram took over from Imran, who transitioned to Waqar Younis in the rarest treble to ever take place. Fast bowler to fast bowler to fast bowler leadership transitions are like the eradication of human disease, smallpox; it’s only ever happened once, which is bad news for those wanting Covid to sod off.
Internationally, fast bowling captains haven’t been all that common, but there are examples, and generally, they’ve all been successful.
India, Kapil Dev – won the 1983 World Cup.
South Africa, Shaun Pollock – winning record.
Zimbabwe, Heath Streak – remarkable career, not doing my attempt at making a point any good with recent ban for breaching ICC anti-corruption code. We just can’t help ourselves!!
In Australia, we’ve had one fast-bowling captain, for one match – Ray Lindwall in 1956.
Enter Pat Cummins.
Reality: the only challenge for Pat Cummins, as a captain, doesn’t come from IQ, education, or the general perception of being mad; it is how to effectively control the in-game decisions and function of the team, whilst ensuring he gets enough rest to contribute as the highest performing fast man in the world.
Hydration is a non-negotiable in modern day sport and the perfect spot to do that is fine leg. But there couldn’t be a worse spot to run the team.
If you are the skipper, you need to be in the play all day. Every over. Every ball. Field placements, plans for individual batters, bowling partnerships, understanding the match scenario, the requirement of identifying key moments and pulling the right strings to successfully navigate them.
There is a lot happening mentally, and as mentioned, bowling quick comes with significant physical challenges. How does that impact decision making late in the day, particularly somewhere like India where hydration and rest are a must for the quicks if they want to remain sane?
The other damaging perception for fast bowlers is that they shouldn’t be anywhere near the slips cordon, because again, it’s where the collars are being adjusted by the hiding batters. Second slip is the power position and it’s the spot for rest.
If Cummins can work his way into the cordon/gully and somehow manage his hydration, it is a no-brainer that he is the player to carry Australian cricket, and Tim Paine’s cultural legacy, forward.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Again Labs in this n the first half hour vs Tassie on a green top. Made 136. Come on. He is the best opener in the country. He is the best young player He is the best leader on the field. LET HIM PICK THE NEW COACH
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Marnus, the first batsman picked, and well under 30, is not being mentioned in captaincy discussions. Pat Cummins, a fast bowler, is being widely supported as our first-ever, long-term captain despite having zero fc experience *and* a substantial injury history. There's an obvious commonality you know...
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Thats because of the leadership focus moving to the coach. A bloody disaster.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Kapil Dev. I'm not against bowling captans in principle. But to choose Cummins is a gamble and means passing over Labuschagne, who is a legend waiting to happen.
Rohan
Roar Rookie
Labuschagne. He is a true leader on the field, he will lead from ball 1. Proxy captain from the dressing room has to end. Give Marnus the captaincy, let him pick a new coach. Together with the selectors, they choose another , young, opener and middle order. Move all the old guys out except for the undeniable talent, Smith Cummins, Hazelwood. Relegate the old boys to T20 where they belong and start a new era. Blood as many young players as we can, make them compete against each other in the present. instead of against has-beens resting on their ( sometimes meagre) laurels. It could take a few seasons to rebuild, but we are forsaking potential greatness to preserve mediocrity. Commence the new era of Labuschagne.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
The power and influence of the coach has risen dramatically. There are now well defined and formalised “leadership groups” within a team set up. Disagree. The coach can schedule as many Strategy/Planning sessions as he likes, but the captain knows that the coach has zero say inside the boundary.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Not Marnus. Why not?
Brett Geeves
Expert
Fair call given how I painted picture of loving own pain. Although, sadist still works - you ever bowled the ball and left a seam mark on the inside of a thigh? Broken someone’s hand with a missile bumper? That is straight pleasure. What I love most about your comment is you've shown yourself to be a cult-leader-in-waiting.
Simoc
Guest
Cummins could do the job easily and he is a whole lot more intelligent and able than the incumbent. Field changes are easily delegated to Warner/Smith, wicketkeeper behind the stumps which Cummins can easily overrule if need be. Those guys talk and discuss as do many successful teams. Its not to hard to get the bowling right and Joe Root fails dismally in this with his killing off of Archer and Stokes by over bowling them. There's a mental block if you don't know this is it but may need to back up again. Very quick bowlers should max out at four overs as in T20. A wicket in the last over gets the adrenalin flowing and another over is on. Cummins is our best option , then Lyon. Paine is a very good wicketkeeper but his judgement of DRS is mostly appalling. Just stick with the howlers. I think we have had natural captains previously and pressuring the batter, field changes, reading the game is easy to them. Paine does not have that ability.
Ben Pobjie
Expert
I just want to point out that you mean masochist, not sadist.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Ha :silly: ha, you know what l mean :shocked:
Paul
Roar Guru
"And great captains create wickets." Who better than the best bowler in Test cricket to do that? :stoked:
Clear as mud
Guest
yes, the teapot was bequeathed by Greg. just ask Henry what it was like on debut. Maxwell... he's a hardarse but a hugger. his teammates - everywhere - love him. he and Finch quite similar in that regard, Finch a bit harder and less huggy tho.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
And great captains create wickets. Captaincy is more than bowler rotation and field placements. Morale, endeavour, belief and fight are instilled by the captain. Example? When you see a fielder drop their head know you have a poor captain! —— Smith rarely inspired within captaincy and l really wanted him to succeed. He had no ‘po-face’.
Paul
Roar Guru
"Even if his overs don’t change his mental application will be compromised." That's the problem, we don't know if that's right or not. I'd like to try it and see what happens. " l hold to the fact that the most important thing a captain does, is to marshall an attack." That and field placings are it, once the game actually starts. Again though, this is a very experienced attack and very often changes are both pre-planned and/or pretty obvious. Bear in mind too, this is an inexperienced captain, but a very experienced bowler who has the help of the coach and lot of guys in the side with good tactical nouse. Cummins strikes me as the sort of bloke happy to listen and make decisions based on good sense and that's half the battle won as an on-field skipper. The only Australian captain ever, other than Smith, who might have let Warner do what he did was Michael Clarke. A very astute tactician, but a terrible man manager
Micko
Roar Rookie
Not inherently against it, but Cummins doesn't ever seem to captain NSW in any format. Not sure if he ever captains his grade team either?
Clear as mud
Guest
I love this. the half-Benaud with a Simmo pike, Lawry entry and Ponting resurface. nice to have a handover when we are winning for once!
Clear as mud
Guest
Little Stevey was always a cluey cricketer, even back in Bankstown indoor cricket days. 13 years in the team, watching Border and Taylor, you would think that's a good apprenticeship. I guess a benefit of debuting at 19 is that you can get the skippering in the sweet spot re experience, but still have years to offer. So Renshaw is the guy! But not yet!! Bizarrely, while I didn't really rate him, I thought Marcus North, if they were going to pick him, just felt like he would be a good captain? He might have done 5 years and we would have missed the most febrile of the Clarke years. it wasn't all his fault IMHO, but say "Clarke" and I think "dressing room drama", not 329*. (had some great captaincy moments and tactical genius and was a great batting captain, but did not build a team, nor mentor future or even rival leaders - he seemed to hate that thought?)
Keith Griffen
Guest
Has Cummins had any other leadership credentials? He won't be odi or t20 bowling captain for sure.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I think we could go with appointing Head as Captain. I think he'd grow into the job and in all likelihood his average would rise with that responsibility. -------- Most of the Fab 5 grew into the job. I think Chappelli and Tubby were inspired choices. The way Border took on the captaincy made Hercules look like a man-bun adorned barista. Ponting, Clarke, Smith and Paine collectively have 10% of the conglomerate captaincy skills that Waugh had. ------- When l was teaching (timber, metal, automotive) l ran my classes like Chappelli and Border. When kids asked where l got my death stare from, I'd say "Steve McQueen". The kids enjoyed the 'no-bs' approach instead of applying so-called "World's Best Practice Pedagogy"