Pat Cummins has said that he is unsure about continuing as the captain of Australia as he nears the twilight of his career. After taking over from Tim Paine and Aaron Finch as the Test and ODI captain, Cummins has performed exceptionally well, leading the team to victory in the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup last year. However, he expressed uncertainty about staying in the role as he winds down his career.
In an interview with reporters, as quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins mentioned his desire to continue playing cricket into his mid-30s.
Cummins eyes long Test playing career
The Australian captain expressed his desire to continue playing Test cricket for another eight or nine years, but he raised doubts about taking up the captaincy role.
"In a perfect world, if my form and body could keep up I'd like to be playing into my mid-30s, I'd doubt that I'll be captaining that long. It's good to have some freshness every x amount of time. If I've got seven or eight years, in a perfect world, of Test cricket I'd be very surprised if I'm captain for the whole time," said Cummins.
Felt like I could just be a player: Cummins
During the T20I series against New Zealand, Cummins was not captaining the side, with Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade taking on the leadership roles. Cummins expressed his enjoyment of being just a player during that time and referred to both Marsh and Wade as his good mates.
"I really enjoyed it actually, with Marshy and Wadey taking up the reins I felt like I could just be a player. On the field, just worrying about your own skills solely, especially in a format that I haven't played a lot for a while was good. Wadey and Marshy are both really good mates, so I'm there if they need me or want to lean or bounce an idea off me or whatever, but it was more of a mental refresh than anything else," said Cummins.
ALSO READ: Neil Wagner hits nets with New Zealand squad after surprising retirement ahead of NZ vs AUS series
The first Test between Australia and New Zealand will begin on February 29 in Wellington. The Australian team has revealed its lineup for the match on February 28.
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