BGT 2024-25: Bumrah, Cummins advocate for more bowling leadership ahead of Perth Test

Perth: Ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scheduled to kick off at Optus Stadium in Perth, both Jasprit Bumrah and Pat Cummins embraced the rare spotlight on fast bowlers as captains. While Cummins hailed the trend as a refreshing shift, Bumrah advocated for pacers’ tactical acumen, crediting his Australian counterpart for setting a high standard and calling it a potential new tradition in cricket leadership. For the first time, two fast bowlers—Bumrah and Cummins—will lead their respective sides, marking a significant departure from the tradition of batters or all-rounders captaining Test teams. “Yeah, great to see. Should happen more. New Zealand series last year was good with Tim Southee as captain as well. Yeah, I don’t think it really changes too much. It’s one of those rare things. Looking forward to seeing how he goes about his work out there, but as a fan of fast bowling, it’s always good to see,” Cummins said on Thursday. Bumrah, India’s pace spearhead, echoed Cummins’ sentiments and praised his counterpart for leading Australia brilliantly, citing former legends like Kapil Dev as examples of successful pacer-captains. “I have always advocated for pacers being captains. They are tactically better. Pat has done a phenomenal job. There are a lot of models in the past as well. Kapil Dev and lot of other captains in the past. Hopefully a start of a new tradition,” Bumrah said. The spotlight will be firmly on both captains as they lead their teams on what promises to be a pace-friendly surface at Perth’s Optus Stadium. Known for its bounce and carry, the pitch is expected to offer ample assistance to the fast bowlers. With rain likely to disrupt the first morning, conditions may become even more challenging for the batters. –IANS