Pat Cummins

Patrick James Cummins is an Australian international cricketer who captains the Australia men’s national cricket team in Test and One Day International cricket. He is also the current captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2024 Indian Premier League.

Cummins is widely regarded as an all – time great fast bowler in Test cricket and one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation. He is also known for being a handy lower – order batsman.

Cummins was a member of the Australian team that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and was the winning captain of the 2021 – 23 ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

Early life

Cummins grew up in Mount Riverview in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with his two brothers and two sisters. He attended St Paul’s Grammar School. As a child he idolised Brett Lee, with whom he later briefly played domestic and international cricket.

At the age of three Cummins lost the top of his middle finger on his dominant right hand when his sister accidentally slammed a door on it.

Cummins played junior cricket for the Glenbrook – Blaxland Cricket Club in the Blue Mountains before playing first – grade cricket for Penrith District Cricket Club in 2010. That same year, Cummins represented NSW in the National Under – 17 championships and later the NSW Under – 19 side.

Cummins attended the University of Technology, Sydney under its Elite Athlete Program, graduating in 2017 with a Bachelor of Business.

In February 2020 Cummins got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Becky Boston; the couple have a son. They married on 1 August 2022.

His mother Maria Cummins died on 10 March 2023 after a prolonged illness.

Domestic Career

• First – class debut: against Tasmania, aged 17

Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 Franchise Career

• Indian Premier League debut in IPL 2014, the 2014 edition of the tournament, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders, to whom he returned for IPL 2015.
• He was not involved in IPL 2016 and played for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2017.
• In the IPL 2020 auction Cummins was bought back by Knight Riders for INR 15.5 crore ($2.8 million), making him one of the most expensive overseas players in IPL auction history.
• He stayed with Knight Riders for IPL 2021 and played for them again in IPL 2022 after taking a huge pay cut by selling for INR 7.25 crore ($1.3 million).
• In April 2022, Cummins tied the record for fastest half – century in the Indian Premier league in IPL 2022, scoring 50 runs in 14 balls against the Mumbai Indians, which was broken the next year by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who took one ball fewer.
• Cummins appeared in the 2024 IPL auction, and was bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20.5 crore ($3.7 million), making him the second – most – expensive player in IPL history after his teammate Mitchell Starc who was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 24.75 crore ($4.5 million) in the same auction.

International Career

• Test debut: at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in November 2011, in what was only his fourth career first – class match, becoming Australia’s youngest Test cricketer since Ian Craig in 1953, at the age of 18 years and 193 days
• Cummins took 1/38 and 6/79, becoming the second – youngest test cricketer (behind Enamul Haque Jr.) to take six wickets in an innings. He then scored 13 runs in the second innings, including a four to win the match and was presented with the Man of the Match award.
• Cummins was granted a Cricket Australia contract in June 2011 and in October 2011, he played two Twenty20 International (T20I) and three One Day International (ODI) matches for Australia against South Africa, claiming ten wickets and subsequently being selected in the Australian Test squad to play South Africa.

Major Achievements

• Cummins was a member of the Australian team that won the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, and was the winning captain of the 2021 – 23 ICC World Test Championship and the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
• After the completion of the 2018 – 19 home cricket season in the Australian summer, Cummins was awarded with the Allan Border Medal in recognition of being the best performing Australian cricketer of the year.
• He was also nominated ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year in 2019. He was appointed as Australia’s Test captain on a permanent basis in November 2021.
• In 2023, he was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy by the ICC.