Ashes player profiles: Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins captained Australia to a 4-0 victory over England in 2021/22 and he is hoping for more success when the 2023 Ashes series starts at Edgbaston on Friday.

Cummins was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019 Ashes in England and, four years on, Australia are 10/11 to beat 6/4 shots England with a drawn series priced up at 6/1.

Name	Pat Cummins
Age	30
Position	Captain, right-arm fast bowler and right-handed batter
Teams	Australia and New South Wales
Test Appearances	50
Test wickets	221
Test runs	938

Pat Cummins background

Born in Sydney, Pat Cummins enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks of Australian cricket after making his debut for New South Wales in all three formats as a 17-year-old in early 2011.

By October that year, having turned 18, he was selected for Australia's tour of South Africa and took 3-25 in a T20 international in Cape Town on his first international appearance.

Despite playing only three previous first-class matches, Cummins was picked for the second Test against the Proteas in Johannesburg, where he took 6-79 in the second innings and hit the winning runs as Australia sealed a thrilling two-wicket victory.

After that dream debut, career-threatening back injuries meant Cummins had to wait until March 2017 for a second Test cap, against India in Ranchi, but his subsequent career has been well worth the wait.

Pat Cummins career achievements

Cummins became the youngest Australian in Test history to take five or more wickets in an innings during that player-of-the-match performance on his debut against South Africa.

After six injury-plagued years, he showcased his fitness and quality by playing all five Tests in the 2017/18 Ashes, claiming 23 wickets as Australia brushed aside England 4-0.

In March 2018 he took 22 wickets on the Aussies' troubled tour of South Africa, including nine in the final Test in Johannesburg.

Cummins was appointed Australia's Test captain after Tim Paine stepped down shortly before the 2021/22 Ashes and he started his new job with figures of 5-38 against England in the first Test in Brisbane.

The Aussies went on to complete a comprehensive 4-0 series win against their old rivals and they have kicked on under Cummins' leadership, beating India by 209 runs in last week's World Test Championship final at The Oval.

Pat Cummins playing style

Tall, powerful, pacy and accurate, Cummins is the complete fast bowler. His clever use of seam movement means he poses a threat on slower pitches as well as quick, bouncy ones and his short ball also causes batters plenty of problems.

Cummins usually bats at number eight or nine for Australia's Test team and is a dangerous lower-order hitter with a top score of 63 against India in the 2018 Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

He equalled the record for the fastest half-century in the Indian Premier League, reaching 50 off just 14 balls for Kolkata Knight Riders against Mumbai Indians in 2022. 

Pat Cummins playing records

This month's WTC final against India was Cummins' 50th Test appearance and he comes into the Ashes with a tally of 221 wickets at an average of just 21.7.

He took his 150th wicket in his 31st appearance, matching the achievement of fellow Aussie greats Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, and only nine players in Test history have reached that landmark in fewer games.

Cummins' best Test bowling figures came in a day-night match against Sri Lanka in January 2019, when he took 6-23 in the second innings in Brisbane to finish with 10-62 in the match.

A couple of weeks earlier he had picked up 6-27 in the second innings against India in Melbourne, dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli for ducks and Ajinkya Rahane for one.

He has enjoyed his battles with England star Joe Root, taking his wicket eight times in 14 matches, and three of his top five Test scores - 41, 42 and 44 - came in the 2017/18 Ashes victory.

Pat Cummins Ashes odds

Cummins was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019 Ashes in England with 29, six more than any other bowler, and he is 4/1 to be Top Bowler in this summer's contest.

The Australia captain is 6/4 to be the tourists' Top Team Bowler in the series, with experienced spinner Nathan Lyon 9/4 and Mitchell Starc 7/2.

Cummins took five wickets in England's first innings of the 2021/22 series and he is 11/4 to claim Australia's First Team 5 Wicket Haul.

The skipper is 18/1 to be named Player of the Series while England's Ben Stokes, his opposite number, is 16/1.