Former England captain Michael Vaughan, talking to Fox Cricket during the ongoing third Test between Australia and Pakistan in Sydney, confidently stated that Pat Cummins is well on his way to becoming the greatest cricketer ever produced by Australia, with only Sir Donald Bradman to be mentioned ahead of the right-arm pacer.
Since taking over as captain of the Australian national team in November 2021, Cummins has seen a remarkable upturn in both team and personal performance, solidifying his status as one of cricket’s greatest.
Michael Vaughan’s Bold Verdict – Is Pat Cummins Australia’s 2nd Greatest Cricketer After Sir Don Bradman?
Debuting in his first Test match at the age of 18 in South Africa, Cummins had to endure a six-year hiatus before his next appearance due to a career-threatening injury. His triumphant return to the Test side occurred in 2017, making a significant impact by claiming 29 wickets in 8 tests that year.
Pat Cummins played a pivotal role in Australia’s 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup victory. After returning to Test cricket in 2017, he earned the Allan Border Medal in 2018. In 2021, Cummins became Australia’s captain and led them to their first World Test Championship title in June.
In 2023, Pat Cummins faced personal adversity, losing his mother during the previous year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Despite the setback, Australia had secured a spot in the WTC Final against India. In June, Cummins led Australia to their first World Test Championship title, securing all ICC trophies. Four months later, he captained Australia to victory in the Cricket World Cup, silencing Indian fans in the process. Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him for over 20 crores in the IPL, completing the remarkable year.
Meanwhile, in a conversation with Fox Cricket, Michael Vaughan expressed his belief that Pat Cummins has the potential to become Australia’s greatest-ever cricketer after Sir Donald Bradman. Despite Vaughan’s experience playing against Ricky Ponting‘s Australia, he sees Cummins as a contender for the top spot in Australian cricket history. He said:
“I do not think he is ever going to surpass Sir Don, but I think Pat Cummins is going to be Australia’s greatest cricketer after Sir Don. I honestly think he is that good. His bowling. His captaincy. His numbers. He has 5-7 years left to play. I honestly think he is that good that we will be talking about him in a few years as being just behind Sir Don as the greatest Australian cricketer.”
Pat Cummins has accumulated 252 wickets in Test matches, 141 in ODIs, and 55 in T20Is. Concluding the 2023 calendar year, he secured 59 wickets across all formats in 24 matches. Additionally, Cummins showcased his batting prowess by scoring 422 runs.
