Ashes 2023: Australia coach Andrew McDonald dismisses ‘far-fetched’ Pat Cummins resignation talk

By India Today Sports Desk: Australia head coach Andrew McDonald dismissed the possibility of Pat Cummins stepping down as test captain after the ongoing Ashes series. Cummins faced his most difficult challenge since taking over as captain in October when England attempted to level the series only to be thwarted by inclement weather, allowing Australia to retain the Ashes urn.

Cummins, as Australia’s captain and pace spearhead, looked helpless against the swashbuckling batting of Zac Crawley and Jonny Bairstow, while his short-pitched bowling ploy failed against England’s aggressive ‘Bazball’ approach. Former Victoria captain Darren Berry slammed Australia’s approach and predicted Cummins, who averaged 5.6 runs per over in the match, would step down after the final test, which begins on Thursday at The Oval.

Berry’s remarks were described as “most interesting” by McDonald.

“What I would say is leadership takes on all different shapes and forms and we’re living and dying in the world of tactics only,” the coach told reporters.

“I think it’s fair and reasonable to critique some of the execution and tactics that we implemented but to go as far as suggesting that the captain resigns post-series, I think it would be far-fetched. “There are opinions that we respect and there are opinions that we don’t.”

When asked if Cummins had become a soft target, McDonald said, “We’re all working for the Australian cricket team together. It should never really come down to Pat as an individual but, unfortunately, as a captain, sometimes you wear that.”

Cummins, who has played in all four games of the series, has denied that the responsibility of captaincy has affected his own performance on the field.

“I don’t think (that was an issue),” Cummins said after the draw. “It was just execution, I let through more boundaries than I normally do. Probably just one or two bad balls an over.”