Cummins Lauds Australia's Dominant Start to WTC Campaign After West Indies Series Win

Pat Cummins, the Australian captain, has expressed his satisfaction with his team's performance at the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Australia, a consistent contender in the WTC finals, has secured victories in their first two Test matches of this cycle. This follows their dominant series win against the West Indies in Grenada, highlighting their ambition to remain a top force in Test cricket.

Cummins delighted with the team's resilience after the Lord's Test © AFP

"Winning away from home is always a challenge, so I'm really pleased with how we bounced back after Lord's (WTC Final)," Cummins stated after the Grenada Test. "It's been a productive couple of weeks. With a pink ball Test coming up next week, securing the series beforehand is a great advantage. These matches always present unique challenges. It's a dream start really, two wins from two, setting us up well in the cycle. We played some exceptionally good cricket."

Cummins also acknowledged the valuable contributions of the team's experienced players. He specifically praised Steve Smith, whose crucial half-century in the second innings helped Australia recover from a precarious 28/3 situation, with a lead of just 61 runs. "Experience plays a significant role," Cummins emphasized. "We value having someone like Steve Smith in the team. He may not have played at Grenada, but he's played on numerous challenging wickets where you need to find different ways to score. It might not always be about powerful drives; sometimes you have to grind your way to a 50. That kind of resilience comes from experience."

He further added, "With experience, you've encountered similar challenges before, and you develop a level of calmness that enables you to navigate through them. As a captain, it makes my job much easier knowing that we have a core of settled, experienced players."

The Australian captain also voiced his support for young opener Sam Konstas, who has found it difficult to make a significant impact in the series, managing only 33 runs in four innings. "Every innings can feel like the most important thing in the world," Cummins commented on Konstas's performance. "But statistically, even the best batters in the world don't consistently hit their average. Failure is more common than success."

"As long as you learn quickly, move effectively, and give yourself the best possible chance, you should keep working hard and assess yourself after a series, rather than after each individual innings."

Meanwhile, West Indies' former captain Kraigg Brathwaite is also facing scrutiny due to his recent form. His 100th Test didn't yield the results he hoped for, with scores of 4, 4, 0, and 7. This has prompted head coach Daren Sammy to consider Brathwaite's future in the team for the upcoming game. "He hasn't looked in good form this series," Sammy admitted. "And in a team that's seeking strong performances, we have to consider whether to give someone else an opportunity. We will have a thorough discussion involving myself, the selection panel, and the captain himself, regarding this situation."

Sammy also pointed out that the pitches in the Caribbean need improvement to foster better Test cricket batters. "It's difficult to produce high-quality batters who can compete effectively," he stated. "The surfaces we play on make it challenging."

"If you examine the averages, very few of our players average above 40 in first-class cricket. These types of pitches don't allow players to develop technically sound techniques, because there's always uncertainty. Ideally, we want our players to perform because of their skills, not in spite of the conditions. This is something that I, along with the director of cricket and the franchise system, are addressing closely. We're trying to improve the wickets to allow batters to trust their techniques. We also need to address some technical deficiencies that are present from the Under-19 level up to the national team."