Cummins Lauds Australia's Dominant Start to New WTC Campaign After Series Win

Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, has expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance at the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Australia, a consistent contender in the WTC Finals, having reached the ultimate match in the previous two editions, has secured victories in their first two Tests of this cycle. This follows their decisive series win against the West Indies in Grenada.

Cummins reflects on the team's resilience after their WTC Final loss. © AFP

"Winning away from home is always a challenge, so I'm really pleased with how we responded after Lord's (WTC Final)," Cummins stated after the Grenada Test. "It's been a productive couple of weeks. With a pink ball Test coming up next week, it's great to have already secured the series. These matches always present unique challenges. It's truly a dream start, winning two out of two, setting us up well in the cycle. We've played some excellent cricket."

Cummins also lauded the experienced players within the squad, specifically highlighting Steve Smith's crucial half-century. Smith's innings played a pivotal role in rescuing the team during the second innings when they were struggling at 28/3, with a lead of only 61 runs. "I believe experience is a significant factor, particularly with someone like Steve Smith returning," Cummins emphasized. "He might not have played in Grenada, but he's played on numerous challenging wickets where you have to adapt your scoring methods. It might not always be about hitting big drives, sometimes you have to grind your way to a 50, and that's where experience comes in."

He added, "With experience, you've encountered similar challenges before, allowing you to approach the situation with composure and find a solution. As a captain, it makes my job much easier knowing that I have a team of seasoned players."

The 32-year-old captain also expressed his support for young opener Sam Konstas, who has faced difficulties in making a significant impact during the series, scoring only 33 runs in his four innings thus far. "Every innings can feel like the most important thing in the world," he commented on Konstas. "But statistically, even the best batsmen in the world don't perform to their average three out of four times. Failure is more common than success."

He advised, "As long as you learn quickly, position yourself well, and give yourself the best opportunity, continue to build on that and evaluate yourself after a series, not after each individual innings."

Another opener facing scrutiny in the series is former West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite. Despite his past achievements, Brathwaite's 100th Test wasn't successful. His recent scores of 4, 4, 0, and 7 have prompted head coach Daren Sammy to consider his future in the next game. "He hasn't looked in good form this series, and in a team that's seeking strong performances, you have to consider giving someone else a chance," Sammy stated. "But we will have a thorough discussion involving myself, the selection panel, and the captain himself regarding this specific situation."

However, Sammy also acknowledged that the pitches in the Caribbean need improvement to cultivate better Test batsmen. "It's difficult to develop the quality of batsmen we need to compete when you consider the surfaces we play on," he noted.

"When you look at the averages, we barely have players averaging above 40 in (first-class) cricket. These types of pitches make it difficult to develop technically sound players because there's always uncertainty. Ideally, we want our players to perform because of their skills, not in spite of the conditions. This is something that I, the director of cricket, and the franchise system have been closely examining to implement changes, including sending head groundsmen to various places to learn how to prepare wickets that allow batsmen to trust their techniques. We also have some technical deficiencies that persist from the Under-19 and youth levels up to the national team."