Pat Cummins stands out as a rare successful bowler-captain — exploring his achievements, leadership style, and winning mantra.
Pat Cummins has become the second most successful Test bowler captain after Pakistan’s Imran Khan. Since he was appointed Australia’s leader, Cummins has picked up 151 red-ball wickets in 69 innings at an average of 22.54. When he got the job ahead of the Ashes 2021/22, many doubted whether he could handle both roles and shoulder responsibility in the longest format.
But Cummins has the rare skill of keeping things simple and believing in the process. His record of 24 wins in 38 Tests at a win-loss ratio of 3.0 is exceptional. This includes two home Ashes victories and one drawn Ashes series in England. He also earned the World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 title and became the runner-up of WTC 2023-25, along with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 victory.
Pat Cummins’ impressive & successful record as Test bowler captain
Cummins (151) is second to Imran Khan’s 187 Test wickets as captain. However, his strike rate of 44 is way better than the former Pakistan pacer (49.20). In the process, he registered nine five-wicket hauls and one ten-wicket haul.
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Most wickets as captains in Tests
| Player | Inns | Wkts | Avg | SR | 5W/10W | BBI |
| I Khan (Pak) | 71 | 187 | 20.26 | 49.20 | 12/10 | 8/60 |
| P Cummins (Aus) | 69 | 151 | 22.54 | 44.00 | 09/01 | 6/28 |
| R Benaud (Aus) | 56 | 138 | 25.78 | 77.60 | 09/00 | 6/70 |
| G Sobers (WI) | 69 | 117 | 34.00 | 92.80 | 03/00 | 6/73 |
| D Vettori (NZ) | 54 | 116 | 33.38 | 79.90 | 06/00 | 6/56 |
When it comes to victories, Cummins carries a Test average of 17.20 for 110 wickets in 45 innings. This is the best performance for any individual in the history of the game. Meanwhile, when Australia lose, the average jumps up to 36.75 for the right-arm pacer for his 24 Test wickets in 13 innings. Even the strike rate of 37.20 in victories worsens to 59 in defeats.
Most Test wickets as captain in victories
| Player | Inns | Wkts | Avg | SR | 5W/10W | BBI |
| P Cummins (Aus) | 45 | 110 | 17.20 | 37.20 | 07/01 | 5/38 |
| I Khan (Pak) | 23 | 78 | 12.61 | 33.60 | 06/04 | 8/60 |
| W Akram (Pak) | 24 | 68 | 18.86 | 41.00 | 03/01 | 6/48 |
| R Benaud (Aus) | 24 | 65 | 19.41 | 66.80 | 04/00 | 6/70 |
| S Pollock (SA) | 28 | 63 | 19.23 | 50.30 | 02/01 | 6/30 |
Since Cummins’ appointment as skipper, he is the third leading wicket-taker (151) in the longest format. Australia’s Mitchell Starc leads the chart with 169 wickets in 81 innings at an average of 24.89.
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Most Test wickets since Pat Cummins’ captaincy appointment
| Player | Inns | Wkts | Avg | SR | 5W/10W | BBI |
| M Starc (Aus) | 81 | 169 | 24.89 | 41.90 | 05/01 | 7/58 |
| N Lyon (Aus) | 71 | 168 | 25.49 | 54.40 | 06/02 | 8/64 |
| P Cummins (Aus) | 69 | 151 | 22.54 | 44.00 | 09/01 | 6/28 |
| J Bumrah (Ind) | 53 | 133 | 17.51 | 36.30 | 10/00 | 6/45 |
| K Rabada (SA) | 48 | 127 | 20.84 | 36.60 | 07/00 | 6/46 |
Cummins has the best Test record as Australia captain at home with 91 Test wickets at an average of 18.41. The 32-year-old, however, struggles with an average of more than 30, away from home in this aspect.
Pat Cummins Test record as captain
| Inns | Wkts | Avg | SR | 5W/10W | BBI | |
| Home | 37 | 91 | 18.41 | 38.20 | 06/01 | 5/38 |
| Away | 28 | 49 | 30.67 | 56.40 | 02/00 | 6/91 |
| Neutral | 02 | 11 | 20.45 | 37.10 | 01/00 | 6/28 |
In terms of his performance in different innings, captain Cummins has almost an equal record in the five-day format. His best performance comes in the second innings of a Test with 63 Test wickets in 23 innings at an average of 21.46.
Pat Cummins’ innings-wise Test record as captain
| Innings | Inns | Wkts | Avg | SR | 5W/10W | BBI |
| 1st Inn | 15 | 30 | 23.63 | 46.70 | 02/00 | 5/38 |
| 2nd Inn | 23 | 63 | 21.46 | 41.50 | 04/01 | 6/28 |
| 3rd Inn | 14 | 28 | 22.92 | 44.30 | 02/00 | 5/42 |
| 4th Inn | 16 | 30 | 23.36 | 46.60 | 01/01 | 5/49 |
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Pat Cummins’ smart planning & ruthless performance
One of the greatest skills of Pat Cummins as a leader is not letting the game drift. Whenever they are ahead in the contest, he makes sure they can get the desired result. Heading into the Ashes 2025/26, many questioned if the ageing bowling side could be clinical enough against England’s Bazball approach. But Cummins backed his players to bank on their experience in tough situations.
The Sydney-born has an extraordinary record against England’s experienced batter, Joe Root, in the red-ball format. Cummins has dismissed Root 13 times at an average of 22.60. The 13th dismissal came during the recent Adelaide Test.
When others struggle on a particular surface, Cummins finds a way to earn success. Mitchell Starc, who bagged 18 wickets in the first couple of Ashes 2025/26 Tests in Perth and Brisbane, ended with match figures of 4/123 in Adelaide. Meanwhile, on that same strip where batting was comparatively easy, Cummins finished with 6/117. And that draws the line between him and others.
What’s ahead for Cummins?
The veteran won’t play any further role in the ongoing Ashes 2025/26 due to his lumbar stress. There is uncertainty about whether he will be available for the T20 World Cup 2026 earlier next year.
But Australia will need to keep Cummins fresh for the upcoming Test season. They won’t have any red-ball clash till August 2026, after which they will play 14 Tests in the span of eight months. It will start with hosting Bangladesh for two Tests before touring South Africa for three. Later, they will host New Zealand for four Tests before heading to India for the away BGT 2027.
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