Pat hot tip for medal
GOLDEN boy Patrick Cummins has been backed by teammates to create history and become the first bowler to win back-to-back Allan Border Medals.
Cummins, 26, was this week named the ICC Test Player of the Year with his 59 wickets in 2019 — a staggering 14 more than Nathan Lyon at No.2. Cummins (12 Tests) enjoyed the most prolific calendar year by an Australian fast bowler since Mitchell Johnson grabbed 63 wickets from 13 Tests in 2009.
A survey of Australia’s top cricketers revealed Cummins was the popular choice to join Ricky Ponting (2004, 2006-07, 2009), Michael Clarke (2005, 2009, 2012-13), Shane Watson (2010-11), David Warner (2016-17) and Steve Smith (2015, 2018) as a multiple AB Medal winner.
Cummins would also become the youngest player to win the prestigious award twice.
“Hard to go past Pat Cummins,” Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch said. “Playing most games in all formats … I can’t see anyone pipping Patty Cummins. Now I’ve thought about it more, I think that he might win it by the length of the straight, and it’ll be a fight for who’s second and third.”
Voting closed after this month’s Sydney Test, with the current ODI series in India counting towards next year’s medal.
While Mitchell Starc played just one Ashes Test, he started the medal cycle with a 10-wicket haul against Sri Lanka, finished it with 29 wickets in five home Tests and, in the middle, he dominated the World Cup with 27 scalps.
Starc has never won the medal. Cummins went wicketless in just three out of 23 Test innings and was the leading wicket-taker at the Ashes (29), jagging six more scalps than England’s Stuart Broad.
The awards ceremony will be held at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium on February 10, which is two days after the Big Bash final and before the white-ball squad jets to South Africa.
Smith said Cummins had taken “a mountain of wickets in all forms of the game” and would go back-toback after another “terrific year”.
Josh Hazlewood wants a bowler to salute and thought it would be Cummins in a close finish.
Marnus Labuschagne backed mentor Smith to secure a third crown from Cummins and Lyon.
“Pat Cummins has to probably be favourite. But Steve Smith, can you really not win it with the performance in the Ashes?” he said.