The Pat Cummins Show: How the bowler has evolved over the years?

For a fast bowler to settle in the Australian team has been a demanding task, Pat Cummins is finally bowling on the right track and is currently one of the best pacers in the world. The young bowler has been the poster boy of the Australian team, but his journey to glory was not a bed of roses. The young bowler played his first Test match (2011) for the team when he was just 18 years old and even though the feeling to represent his country might have been exceptional but there was a lot for this young man to showcase.
In his debut match, the fast bowler enthralled the crowd with a fabulous performance with a seven-wicket haul, out of which 6 wickets came in the second innings.
The seven-wicket haul was talked about a lot at that time and it gave Australia a chasable score in the second innings. Amidst the Australian victory, the name that emerged constantly was of the tall fast bowler who had all the necessary weapons to become a future spearhead.
Pat Cummins was one of those pacers who were impeccably complete, so much that he promised too much at such a tender age and created a bubble of expectations around him.
Pat Cummins came to the Australian bowling scene when the giants, Brett Lee and Mitchell johnson were already in the picture and it was the best time for any young bowler to play for the country. Following the path of his seniors and learning from them, Pat Cummins made his ODI debut soon after Test.
His white-ball debut wasn’t that memorable but he looked like a full package to the Australian team.
In just a few matches, Cummins became a regular name on the Australian side, but when everything goes your way, the situations tend to mingle with them. Cummins had no weakness in his skillset but a fragile body didn’t let the player cope with all the cricket he was getting to play. Tragedy struck him and his body didn’t allow him to play cricket constantly. Pat couldn’t play a single Test match for six years and the name was on the verge of vanishing from the Australian Cricket.
The bowler couldn’t continue to his full potential due to injuries and wasn’t able to exploit the sensational debut he had. His course of injury over the years created his test hiatus and forced him to stay out of white-ball cricket too. From one of the most sensational and promising youngsters in the team, Pat moved from a regular starter to a bench warmer as he was not able to keep up with his form due to the injuries.

 
Pat Cummins made appearances at a few intervals in the six-year drought but his main focus was to improve his body and prepare himself for the unconditional wear off in the field. Pat Cummins strengthened himself and even though he was a part of the team, Cummins wasn’t getting playtime. Something changed around that time and it was the year 2016-17 when Pat made a comeback on the field and from a drinks boy, he became a regular man of the Australian test team.
The 2016-17 season saw Cummins’ fitness levels peak strongly. The six years away from the team forced the bowler to prepare constantly until he was ready to give his everything to the team and boy, did he come strong. Cummins was picked up for the test tour of India in early 2017 and it was the time for the bowler to prove his worth and showcase the talent team had been missing over the years. It was not only a test for the bowler to make his presence known in the team and become a regular member of the Australian team, but it was also the time to prove to himself for all the training he had undergone over the years.
The pitches in the sub-continent are not the best conditions for a bowler to test himself, especially for a pacer like Pat Cummins who has a great amount of bounce in his bowling style because of his height and the pace with which he bowls. The bowler was emerging himself from the ground and was hungry to hunt a few batsmen down on his comeback. The situations didn’t matter, the pitches seemed perfect, and the pacer rolled out his deadly bowling to showcase some great spells in the two back to back Test matches against India.
The IPL season, thereafter, was a complete revival for the Aussie pacer who was making rounds in the cricketing world as one of the finest upcoming bowlers. The 2017 IPL season saw Pat Cummins play for the Delhi side under the captaincy of Indian bowling legend Zaheer Khan. The bowler was eager to stand up for the Australian team and under Zaheer Khan, Pat learned to control the ball and improved on his swing. Zaheer Khan helped Pat mold himself into one of the deadliest bowlers of the world.
Despite a strong run in India, Cummins had to train ruthlessly to constantly going without any hurdles blocking his way in the form of injuries. After a successful India series, Cummins was picked up for the Bangladesh tour and it was a much-required game-play for him. The Bangladesh tour was a test of the bowler for the Ashes and an opportunity to test his fitness.
It was the optimal opportunity for Cummins to prove himself as the ideal Test bowler and make a statement with the ball. Pat didn’t let the opportunity fail and grabbed it with both the hands to claim sensational breakthroughs and even make valuable considerations with the bat. His extensive performance in the Bangladesh series paved the way to Ashes and the cricketing fans across the globe were recognizing the bowler and his potential. 
Ever since the Bangladesh tour, Pat Cummins hasn’t looked back and has gone on to become the premier strike bowler for the national side across the three formats. Not only that, Pat Cummins was ranked the No. 1 Test bowler in 2019 according to the ICC rankings. Apart from the Ashes in Test matches, Pat Cummins’ recognition at the expert level in the ODI series was in the India series and the World Cup. 
Pat Cummins was out of the national scene for around 5 years and the major reason for that was the fitness levels and regular injuries. Fitness has been the biggest concern for the Australian pacer and with his determination and training, the bowler has come a long way getting past all the hurdles in the way.

Pat Cummins in Tests

 
Pat Cummins has evolved strongly as the best Test bowler in the current scenario. The bowler made his debut as a Test bowler and has been the starman of Ashes for Australia. Currently ranked No.1 Test bowler, Pat Cummins found it difficult to maintain his pace and perform constantly as the injuries held the bowler back. His test debut was memorable but not enough for the bowler to keep going.
After tremendous efforts to keep the fitness levels appropriate and making his name as one of the most dangerous Australian Test bowlers in the subcontinent. His selection in the team for Ashes was the biggest celebration for the bowler and the highest level of recognition he could get in Test bowling at the international level. Cummins hasn’t failed to surprise everyone with his extraordinary bowling skills and holds a brilliant record of 143 wickets in just 30 Test matches. The bowler averages at 21.83 and his excellency proved itself this year. 

Pat Cummins in ODIs

 
The bowler has had a great time playing with the white ball as he builds a strong pressure on the batsmen with his brilliant deliveries. Scoring runs off his balls hasn’t been an easy task against the bowler and most of the batsmen who have scored some boundaries off the bowler have played the shots in the dark. His ability to decrease the run rate and economical bowling prowess has played in the favor of the Australian team, especially in the death overs. The duo of Star and Cummins is one of the deadliest bowling combos the world has ever seen and they seem to be walking on the path of the veterans, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson.
Cummins has an impeccable record in ODI cricket and has managed to bag 98 wickets in 59 matches he has played. The current India-Australia series has seen the bowler wipe the floor with the Indian batsmen and the initial average shows so. Pat Cummins has not only managed to tame the Indian opening duo of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan but also he has been an efficient bowler in the death bowling. Cummins is having the time of his life as he goes onto become one of the most efficient bowlers in the Australian bowling line-up.

Pat Cummins in T20Is and IPL

 
Pat Cummins’ exceptional bowling skills and consistency have made him the most expensive player in this year’s edition of IPL. Cummins was bought for a price tag of 15.5 cr by Kolkata Knight Riders, which not only made him this year’s most expensive purchase but also the most expensive foreign player ever in IPL. His record for Australia in T20 International matches has ben flawless too.
 
Pat Cummins has claimed 32 wickets in the 25 T20 Internationals he has played at an economy of just 6.78. His IPL record hasn’t been that great but it will be a pleasure to watch him play this year for KKR as a reinvented bowler. Pat Cummins is one of the finest bowlers in international cricket currently and it will be a delight to see the talented youngster continue his form and become an inspiration for the upcoming bowlers all around the world.