Irfan Pathan does not mind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s decision to name Pat Cummins as their new captain for IPL 2024 but the former India all-rounder pointed out certain issues he feels will creep in with the new appointment. Cummins takes over SRH captaincy from Aiden Markram, who did not have the greatest of seasons last year with the team finishing with the wooden spoon. But with SRH’s sister team, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Markram has had a proven record, leading them to back-to-back SA20 titles in 2023 and 2024, and that’s where Pathan’s point of view makes sense.
Besides, the fact that Cummins, despite being a proven leader last year, retained the Ashes last year against England and led Australia to two World championships – the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup – does not have the credentials in T20 cricket is where SRH may have gotten ahead of themselves, reckons Pathan.
“When you talk about leadership, you wouldn’t want to think beyond Cummins ideally. Australia just won the World Cup under him; he’s performed really well in the last one and a half years. But the problem is that Cummins will look nice overall. However, when it comes to T20 leadership, there’s nothing. His performance isn’t the greatest in T20 cricket and his IPL numbers aren’t decent either,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
