Pat Cummins' 'calmness' key for Aaron Finch after push to streamline vice-captaincy
Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch was one of the driving forces behind the return to a single vice-captain and having Pat Cummins in that position with a desire to streamline the on-field decision-making process.
The idea of two vice-captains was first used against Pakistan in the UAE in 2018 as Australia rebuilt following the ball-tampering scandal and has been a feature of squads since. However, for the tour of England - which will see Australia resume action for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March - Cummins will be sole lieutenant to Finch, having been preferred ahead of Alex Carey, and is an injury away from leading the team.
If Cummins was to captain Australia it would be only the second time they would be led by a specialist fast bowler - the other occasion was when Ray Lindwall captained one Test against India in 1956 - although the selectors have said this is not an indication of direct succession planning for the leadership.
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"That was one of my recommendations on the back of the South Africa tour [in March], just try to streamline the process a little bit more, especially on the field," Finch said. "We feel as though Patty has everything covered off the field as well, but just on the field having that one direct line for me is really important. At times if you have seven or eight guys going to three or four people sometimes it can feel a little bit clouded and you just get to a point where you have so much advice. So for Pat to be able to filter that out on the field will be a huge help.
"The great thing Patty brings is a real calmness to the squad and he's someone who over the years has been able to separate the off-field stuff with his on-field performance and manages himself really well. He brings a different perspective being a bowler as well, with the traditional captains and vice-captains being batsmen, so to have that real close connection to the bowlers is really important as well.
"That's taking nothing away from Alex - he did a fantastic job - we just feel that going back to one vice-captain is probably the way forward and simplifies things out in the field when you have one direct line to a vice-captain rather than going to a few different others."
When Australia's 21-man squad for the tour was named last week, national selector Trevor Hohns said: "After taking advice and reviewing the leadership of the squad we have decided to revert back to the traditional captain and one vice-captain setup. Alex remains a genuine leader within the squad and will continue to provide valuable support to Aaron as skipper. Pat is very much in the same category and someone the entire squad has immense respect for as a person and a player.
"This is not a reflection of succession planning, but rather a decision to return to the traditional leadership set-up that has served Australian cricket so well for generations."
It will be a few months before Australia name a Test squad but Cummins will be firmly in the frame again having shared the role with Travis Head since the home series against Sri Lanka in early 2019. However, speaking about the potential of one day landing the top job in Test cricket Cummins acknowledged the challenge it would bring for a fast bowler.
"I feel like in every Test I play, I bowl my overs and I'm absolutely cooked and I go down to fine leg and try to recover," he told SEN Radio last year. "I'm not thinking about field placements or who should be bowling or anything like that. I'm not sure I'd make a great captain at the moment."