Unleash Cummins to rattle tourists

Put new ball in Pat’s hand, says Lee

FORMER white ball enforcer Brett Lee says Pat Cummins must open the bowling in a bid to destroy India before their summer campaign starts.

Despite being the world’s No 1 fast bowler, Cummins, pictured, has often been asked to bowl first change behind Mitchell Star can dJoshHazl ewood in Australia’ s all-star pacearsenal.

In Australia’s recent ODI series triumph over England in the UK, Cummins did not take the new ball in any match, and that has been the approach in Test cricket as well.

He does it brilliantly and is Australia’s highest ranking quick in Test matches and ODIs, with a truckload of wickets in recent season.

But Lee insists Cummins is not being used to his potential, declaring the time has come for Australia to build its attack around the vice-captain and unleash him with the new ball in all format soft he game.

“Cummins has to get the new ball ,” he told News Corp.

“And that’s no disrespect to Josh Hazlewood and or Mitchell Starc. It’s a conundrum Australia has got in we have three fast bowlers who can all take the new ball.

“I think the way it should go should probably be Starc and Cummins take the new ball and Hazlewood bowling first change.

“It’s not a demotion for Hazlewood, because he’s the guywhocandothat.

“Hazlewo odis Mr Accurate. He can bowl the new ball and take wickets, but he can also bowl first change and take wickets, he’s so economical andaccurate.

“You have to go with what you think is the best chance to take wickets and the best chance to take wickets for Pat Cummins is to bowl that new ball.

“I would definitely open up with him in all formats of the game. He’s my first pick. Pat Cummins — brand new ball, and then you build around that.”

Lee, who will emerge from quarantine to do commentary on Fox Cricket, has spent the past two months in India analysingtheIPL.

Cummins’s franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, initially used their $3.17m man as a first change bowler, before eventually throwing him the newball.

Australia plans to inject him into the attack this summer whenever Kohli first appears, and given the Indian master is at No 3 in the ODI format, there is even more incentive for the Australians to try to go on an early blitzkrieg with theirNo1quick.

“With someone like Pat Cummins, it’ s his raw pace and his accuracy ,” Lee said.

“He’s a guy that can definitely trouble the world’s best, it doesn’t matter who is batting.”

“He started off in the IPL bowling first change and he missed out on a couple of wickets and didn’t get an opportunity.

“He has to get the new ball. I used to always think when I was playing, ‘what would the bats man want to face ?’”

Hazlewood said Australia was not lying awake at night worrying about Kohli, because it knew it had Cummins.