‘Respected’ Cummins primed for Australia captaincy - Gilchrist
The HinduPat Cummins should have first shot at Australia’s Test captaincy in the wake of Tim Paine’s resignation, having won the respect of his team-mates as a leader, former skipper Adam Gilchrist has said. “I think he’s had a huge amount of respect from everyone, really - particularly from his team-mates, so I think that’s the way they will lean.” ‘Integral part of the team’ Steve Smith, who completed a two-year suspension from leadership roles last year for his part in the 2018 Newlands ball-tampering scandal, is eligible for the captaincy and has voiced his hopes of taking it on again. However, pundits are divided as to whether the public would be ready to embrace the batter again for a position often referred to as Australia’s “second highest office in the land” after the Prime Minister. “I just think Pat Cummins has developed into a more integral part of that team and grown in his knowledge of the game and experiences he’s had,” he added.