T20 World Cup: Australia spearhead pacer Pat Cummins, is riding a wave of confidence as he enters the T20 World Cup, feeling that his game is in the best shape it has been in a decade.Fresh off a successful stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Cummins joined the Australian squad in Barbados, ready to make his mark. Back in November, ahead of the IPL auction, Cummins had made his intentions clear: he aimed to use the tournament to showcase his abilities and secure his place in Australia’s T20 setup.
“Probably as well as I have for the last 10 years really,” Cummins told cricket.com.au of his T20 bowling on Monday. “We played 17 games straight (at the IPL). For the most part, international T20s are after the Test series, and you’ve got to try and hit a yorker or a slower ball, and then go back to a Test series.”
“So just getting the pace of the game and executing some of those balls that you need more in T20 cricket than in other formats, I feel really well placed,” he added.
Cummins highlighted the importance of sticking to the same format, which he believes makes a “huge difference” to the tactical side of bowling.
“A lot of T20 bowling in particular is about thinking through your sequencing of which ball to bowl or when, and I think over the course of the season you get to learn pretty quickly what’s working and what isn’t.
“Even if it doesn’t work first game, and you feel like it’s never going to work every game, but you know that if you zoom out over the course of the tournament it’s going to work for you. So it’s nice coming in here with that confidence.”
His tenure as captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad not only polished his bowling skills but also enhanced his leadership credentials. Now, as he dons the Australian colours once more, Cummins is content to take a backseat in leadership, with his good friend Mitchell Marsh stepping up as captain for the T20 World Cup.
“I’m obviously there to help him if he needs me but it’s Mitch’s show. I’m certainly there to help … as are a lot of the senior guys, so he won’t be short of help if he needs it,” Cummins said.