Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins has been appointed as the captain of the Test team right ahead of the Ashes series. The decision comes after days of speculation when he and former captain Steve Smith appeared before a five-member panel constituted by Cricket Australia. Smith will be his deputy in the longest format.
The decision to promote Cummins as the skipper can be seen as a seminal moment in Australian cricket as he has become the first pacer to take the full-time leadership position of the side.
"I am honoured to accept this role ahead of what will be a massive Ashes summer," Cummins said in a statement. “I hope I can provide the same leadership Tim (Paine) has given the group in the past few years. With Steve and I as captains, a number of very senior players in this squad and some great young talent coming through we are a strong and tightly-knit group.
"This is an unexpected privilege which I am very grateful for and am very much looking forward to."
His first test as a leader will come in the upcoming weeks as England are already in Australia for the all-important Ashes series and he will have the task of uniting the players to move on from the saga that his predecessor Tim Paine left behind him.
His appointment as skipper was more or less on cards as he was deputy to Paine for a long time and that his candidature was also approved and promoted by many former Australian players.