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Pat Cummins will lead Australia in the upcoming Ashes series with England after he was named as the 47th captain of the men's cricket team, replacing Tim Paine.
Key points:
- Cummins was appointed captain in the wake of Paine's decision to step down from the role
- He is the first bowler to captain Australia since the 1950s
- Former skipper Steve Smith was named as the new vice-captain
Former skipper Steve Smith, who was banned from leadership roles for two years over the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa in 2018, has been picked as Cummins's deputy.
Cummins has played 34 Tests for Australia since 2011, taking 164 wickets at an average of 21.59, and he was Paine's vice-captain until the Tasmanian's resignation last week.
The confirmation of Cummins as Test captain came only a few hours after Paine advised Cricket Australia (CA) he would be taking a leave of absence from all forms of cricket for the "foreseeable future".
Cummins said he understood the responsibility that came with being men's Test skipper.
"I know with the role it comes with added scrutiny," Cummins told the media on Friday afternoon.
"For 10 or 11 years, I have been playing for Australia in the public eye. I might not always get things right, I am not perfect.
"Things will pop up, but as long as I can sleep at night, I am really comfortable with the responsibility of that."
Cummins is the first fast bowler to captain Australia since Ray Lindwall led the team for one Test against India in Mumbai in 1956.
The 28-year-old acknowledged fast-bowling captains were not the norm in Test cricket, but he was confident he could do the job with Smith as his deputy.
He said he expected their relationship on the field to be built on a "collaborative approach".
"There will be times when I am out in the middle and it is a hot day, and I am in the middle of a (bowling) spell and I need to turn to people for advice, for experience," Cummins said.
"That is the main reason … I wanted Steve to be vice-captain. So I think how that looks, it potentially could look differently to what you are seeing how partnerships work in the past.
"Steve has got such huge strengths, especially around tactics on the field.
"I will be leaning on him usually for that, and it might look a little bit different from the outside to potentially how the captains have been in the past, and that is great."
Smith said he had no concerns about working alongside Cummins.
"It is my job to help Patrick in any way that I can, and if there are times on the field when I can help — and I guess help the workload with Pat — then that is my job," he said.
"I am excited to be working with Patrick. We have known each other a long time. We are close friends. We get on really well.
"I think we complement each other really well. I think I am really excited and I think this could be a really great partnership to get going forward."
Smith ready for 'negativity'
Smith's appointment as vice-captain has raised some eyebrows in the Australian and international cricket community because of his role in the ball-tampering scandal three years ago.
He was suspended for 12 months following the incident and also served a ban from leadership positions inside the Australian team set-up.
Smith said he respected the fact his appointment would be met with opposition from some cricket observers.
"I think there will be some negativity from some people around it, I understand that and I get that," he said.
"But, for me, I know that I have grown a great deal over the last three or four years.
"I am a more rounded individual and, in turn, I think it has turned me into a better leader and I am excited to be in this position next to Patrick."
Cummins supportive of Paine
Paine resigned from the captaincy last Friday after sexually explicit texts he had sent to a former female colleague at Cricket Tasmania became public.
Cummins said he was fully supportive of Paine at this time.
"I been chatting to Tim the whole week, we spoke on the phone this morning," he said.
"I'll start by saying that we really feel for him and his family. He is really loved, a well-respected leader for our team.
"He has been incredible to me. He's been someone who I really have been looked after by. I've learned a lot from him.
"We love him, and we hope to see him back on the team soon."
Smith said he had empathy for Paine, having himself stepped down from the Australian Test captaincy in 2018.
"I urge him to take care of himself and be really kind to himself, so my thoughts are with him and his family, and obviously he has taken a leave of absence," he said.
"Hopefully we can see him back."
CA chief executive Nick Hockley said his organisation would support Paine while he took a break from cricket.
"We recognise that this is an incredibly difficult time for Tim and his family and we are committed to supporting them," he said.
"We understand that and we respect Tim's decision to take some time to focus on his family and his wellbeing, and we hope that he returns as soon as possible."
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