He’s one of Australia’s biggest athletes and might someday go down as one of the greatest-ever captains in the history of cricket – and there are few fans who would fail to recognise him as he looks today.
But even the most clued-up of supporters might struggle to identify the superstar from this throwback photo of him in his soccer team photo when he was still just a kid.
The man is Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins.
Cummins, who grew up in the Blue Mountains suburb of Mount Riverview, is pictured playing for the mighty Blaxland Redbacks.
The aggressive fast bowler played junior cricket for the Glenbrook-Blaxland Cricket Club before switching to the Penrith District Cricket Club in 2010.
That same year, Cummins played for NSW in the National Under-17 championships and later the NSW Under-19 side.
Aussie cricket skipper Pat Cummins (top right) is pictured playing for the Blue Mountains-based Blaxland Redbacks soccer team
Cummins, who grew up in the lower Blue Mountains, made his Test debut in 2011
Cummins made his Test debut in 2011 against South Africa at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg aged just 18.
Remarkably, it was just his fourth career first-class match.
He then replaced Tim Paine in November of 2021 as Australia’s Test captain, and has overseen a golden period ever since.
It includes the ICC World Test Championship, retaining the Ashes in England and the ODI World Cup last year after thrashing a shell-shocked India in front of their own fans.
Cummins is currently preparing his side to take on India and reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since the 2014-15.
The two sides collide on Friday in Perth for the opening Test of the series, with the visitors coming into the opening match off the back of a 3-0 series defeat by New Zealand.
Virat Kohli has been in the spotlight lately for his indifferent form over the past few months, with the former India captain having struggled to score runs against the Black Caps.
Kohli managed just 93 runs during the entirety of the series, despite hitting a 70 in the first Test – his top score.
The fast bowler replaced Tim Paine in November of 2021 as Australia’s Test captain and has led the team to a highly successful run
Cummins is currently preparing to face India and reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Aussie cricket legend Glenn McGrath is confident of Australia’s chances, claiming that if he was still playing, he’d predict a 5-0 whitewash ‘without a doubt’.
And he believes Australia should deploy mind games to target Kohli who he claimed, could be feeling the pressure following a mixed recent run of form.
‘You look at that series against New Zealand recently, where the three Tests he only made 90 odd runs, his top score was 70. So it was a pretty lean series,’ McGrath said to The Daily Telegraph during a promotional campaign for Great Northern’s Long Way for a Beer campaign.
‘He’d be under pressure a little bit. He’s probably feeling it as well.
‘So if Australia can start well and bowl well to knock him over the first Test match, that could sort of set up the whole series for us. So I think that’s the first Test is pretty important.’
