Pat Cummins becomes first pacer to lead Australia in ODIs

Pat Cummins has been appointed the new Australian skipper in ODIs, replacing Aaron Finch, who retired from the format a couple of months back. He is the first pacer to lead the Kangaroos in the format.

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After months of speculations regarding the Australian captaincy in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), the air has been cleared. Reigning Test skipper Pat Cummins has also been handed the leadership duties for the 50-over format. As a result, he has become the first pacer to lead the Aussies in the format. He will replace Aaron Finch, who retired from the sport a couple of months ago. Cummins would also be the second bowler to lead the Kangaroos in the format after late spin great Shane Warne, who did the same in the 90s. However, his deputy is still to be announced by Cricket Australia (CA), while it is likely to be either Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey or Glenn Maxwell.

In contrast, David Warner, who was in strong contention for the captaincy, is yet to be cleared of his lifetime leadership ban by CA. On Cummins' appointment, chief selector 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."

CA would like to announce the vice-captain soon, a year ahead of its preparations for the ICC World Cup 2023. Although Finch was perfect in terms of his leadership calibres for the format, a recent slump in his form forced him to quit the structure, as he continues to lead the side in the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is).

However, CA will have to ensure the workload commitments of Cummins, given that he has a tedious role in the Tests, besides continuing to play an integral part as a pacer in the ODIs and T20Is. While he would be representing Australia in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup at home, his first task as the ODI skipper would be the three-match series next month at home to England.