Cummins open to leading Australia’s ODI side but also wants Warner in the mix

Melbourne, Oct 16 (SocialNews.XYZ) Australia Test skipper Pat Cummins is open to leading in One-day International cricket as well provided Cricket Australia (CA) can come up with a "rotation-type policy" where someone like David Warner can also get the opportunity to captain the 50-over side.

There has been a lot of debate over who should lead the Australian ODI side after Aaron Finch recently quit the post and retired from the 50-over format owing to poor form. While Cummins and Warner are frontrunner to fill up the post, the latter is currently under a life-time leadership ban which bars him from taking up any captaincy or vice-captaincy role either with the national side or in the domestic Big Bash League.

Warner is serving a life-time leadership ban owing to his involvement in the 2018 ball-tampering episode in Cape Town, which later came to be known as 'Sandpaper-gate'. While several current and former players have been pitching for Warner's leadership ban to be lifted, the biggest hurdle in the way is for Cricket Australia (CA) to rewrite its code of conduct.

As the per current CA rules, "once a punishment is accepted by the player at fault it cannot be challenged."

But since Warner has returned to the side after serving the one-year ban from all forms of cricket, he has guided the team to victory in several campaigns, including Australia's maiden title triumph in the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE last year. He has also been at his best behaviour, prompting several present and former cricketers, including Cummins, to ask CA to also lift the leadership ban on the veteran player.

Australia's packed schedule and the workload on Cummins make ODI captaincy rotation a viable option.

"(The captaincy) is something I'd be open to," Cummins was quoted as saying by Newcastle Herald. "(But) playing every single game isn't realistic. It would be really seamless if you had a committee. The style of just about everyone in the team is really similar. We've got some great leaders in the team, we all get along great."

With Cricket Australia giving a serious thought to include an exemption clause in their code of conduct, Warner could see his leadership ban being revoked.

"He'd (Warner) be awesome at it (captaincy)," Cummins said. "There's a few barriers at the moment, but certainly if they were removed, there wouldn't be any qualms from any of the playing or coaching group. He's a leader around our group. Always has been, always will be," said Cummins.

"He's someone in the Test side I lean on a lot. If things changed (with his leadership ban), I'm sure he would be someone you would strongly consider to step up if needed," added Cummins.

Source: IANS