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 impressive beginning to the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Australia, a consistent contender in the WTC finals, having reached the ultimate stage in the last two editions, has secured victories in their first two Test matches of this cycle. This triumph follows their decisive series win against the West Indies in Grenada.

Cummins: "Really pumped with how we bounced back after Lord's" © AFP

"Winning away from home is never easy, so I'm really pleased with how we responded after Lord's (WTC Final)," Cummins stated after the Grenada Test. "It's been a productive couple of weeks. With the pink ball Test coming up next week, it's great to have already secured the series. Those matches always present unique challenges. It's a dream start, really – two wins out of two, setting us up well in the cycle. We played some excellent cricket."

Cummins also acknowledged the contributions of the team's seasoned players, especially highlighting Steve Smith's crucial half-century. Smith's innings proved vital in the second innings when Australia found themselves in a precarious situation at 28/3, holding a lead of just 61. "Experience plays a significant role, and we talked about the importance of having someone like Steve Smith in the side," Cummins noted. "He might not have played his best in Grenada, but he has experience playing on various wickets where you need to find different ways to score. You might not be able to hit big drives down the ground, but you have to grind your way to a 50. That ability comes with experience."

He further added, "With experience, you've encountered similar challenges before, and you possess a level of composure that allows you to navigate through them. As a captain, it makes my job much easier knowing that I have a team of settled players."

The Australian captain also voiced his support for young opener Sam Konstas, who has struggled to find his form in the series, managing only 33 runs in his four innings thus far. "Every innings feels like the most important thing in the world," he said about Konstas. "But even the best batters in the world don't perform up to their average three out of four times. Failure is more common than success."

Cummins advised, "As long as you're learning quickly, moving well, and giving yourself the best chance, keep working hard and evaluate yourself after a series or so, not after every single innings."

Meanwhile, West Indies' former captain Kraigg Brathwaite is also facing scrutiny due to his recent struggles. Brathwaite's 100th Test was particularly disappointing, with scores of 4, 4, 0, and 7. This has led head coach Daren Sammy to consider his future in the team for the upcoming game. "He hasn't looked good this series, and in a team where we're looking for performances, you get very close to saying, 'Okay, do we give someone else a chance?'" Sammy said. "But we will have a thorough discussion involving myself, the selection group, and the captain himself, regarding this situation."

Sammy also admitted that the pitches in the Caribbean need improvement to foster better Test batters. "It's difficult to produce the quality of batters that we need to compete," he noted. "When you look at the surfaces we play on, it's challenging."

He elaborated, "If you look at all the averages, we barely have guys averaging 40-plus in (first-class) cricket. These types of pitches don't allow you to develop technically sound skills because you're always unsure. There's always doubt. Ideally, we want our guys to perform because of their skills, not in spite of the conditions. This is something that myself, the director of cricket, and the franchise system are closely examining to bring about change. We're trying to send the head groundsmen all over to get the sort of wickets that allow batters to trust their techniques. We also have some technical deficiencies that carry on from the Under-19, the youth level, up to the national team."