5 Bowlers who can dethrone Pat Cummins as No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings

It was in the year 2011 at The Wanderers in Johannesburg that the 18-year old Pat Cummins made his first appearance in Test cricket. The teen fast bowler from Sydney, on his debut, outshone his pace colleagues in Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle by finishing with six wickets in the second innings. In total, he snapped seven wickets in the match, notably dismissing Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Rudolph, and Jacques Kallis.

After his commanding show with the ball, the speedster also hit the winning runs to script a famous win for Australia against the Proteas. However, Cummins’ fragile body and his fitness issues didn’t give way for him to play another Test for the next six years. The tour of India in 2017 witnessed his return to whites, and since then he hasn’t looked back. 

In February 2019, Cummins climbed to the number one spot in the ICC Test bowler rankings on the back of some exceptional performances when the national team was going downhill. The 26-year old’s indefatigable ability to bowl lengthy spells along with the knack of picking up wickets with the old and new ball sets him apart from most of them. While many bowlers have displayed the potential, very few have been able to match the consistency and attain the fitness level to topple the Aussie bowler.

Here we take a look at five bowlers who can dethrone Pat Cummins from the number one spot:-

Kagiso Rabada

The Proteas’ speedster has built his reputation as one of the fearsome young fast bowlers of this generation. Having made his Test debut in the year 2015, Kagiso Rabada rose rapidly as Dale Steyn‘s worthy replacement to lead the South African pace attack in the future.

Rabada continued his ascendancy by thrusting himself to the top of the ICC bowlers rankings in January 2018 before Pat Cummins overtook him. Currently sitting behind Cummins at number two, the 24-year old has 183 wickets in 40 Tests at a healthy average of 22.50.

By the standards of his potential, Rabada has endured a quiet year, snaring 26 wickets in seven matches. With the home season set to begin against England, this would be the pacer’s best chance to leapfrog Cummins and take back the number one ranking.

Neil Wagner

Among the ranks of Trent Boult and Tim Southee as New Zealand’s new-ball bowlers, Neil Wagner has quietly sneaked in with useful contributions. Snapping five wickets in Mount Maunganui against England in the first Test, the left-arm quick jumped five places to end up at number three in the ICC bowlers rankings.

The 33-year old initially struggled to cement his place in the New Zealand Test side. He already possessed the ability to get the ball swinging combined with his insatiable urge to succeed. Adding reverse swing to his armoury gave him an edge that encouraged a more frequent selection to the eleven.

The South African born has taken 182 wickets in 40 Tests at a reasonably good average of 27.04. With 24 wickets in three Tests in 2019, it took only one bowling performance from Wagner to make a massive leap in the rankings. It couldn’t be long before he wangs his way to the top of the tree.

Josh Hazlewood

Pat Cummins’ fellow countryman, Josh Hazlewood is one of the most dependable new-ball bowlers of this era. Unlike Cummins whose bedrock is pace, Hazlewood relies on a nagging line and length to cause problems to the batsmen. The right-arm pacer is presently ranked number nine among the bowlers in the ICC Test rankings.

Often drawn comparisons to the mastermind Glenn McGrath, the 28-year old’s pursuit of accuracy perfectly compliments Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins’ searing pace. He was one of the best bowlers in the Ashes series, taking 20 wickets in only four Tests. Since his Test debut in 2014, the right-arm speedster has rarely ceased to justify his position. 

Although the New South Wales lad is a long way off from overtaking his colleague, Hazlewood could only be one bowling performance away from passing Cummins. The present summer provides him with the perfect opportunity. In 49 Tests, the 28- year old has snared 190 wickets at 26.30.

Mohammed Shami

The talk of the town in recent months has been how India’s fast bowling unit is rewarding on every pitch and has transformed into one of the greatest bowling attacks of all time. Aided by Ishant Sharma as the spearhead, Mohammed Shami has asserted himself as the go-to bowler for his captain.

Since his Test debut in 2013, Shami couldn’t solidify his place in the team, primarily due to injuries and form concerns. However, in the past year or so, the Bengal pacer featured in all the overseas Test series. He kept climbing from strength to strength and ultimately became the heart of India’s formidable run in whites.

His ability to move the new ball off the seam and, especially generating reverse swing with the old ball makes him hard for the most batsman to read him. In eight Tests this year, Shami has bagged 33 wickets at an average of 16.67. Currently, at number seven, the 29-year old’s potentially fiery outing in New Zealand would most likely have him closing in on the Australian.

Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah‘s phenomenal displays with the white ball led the selectors to hand him the Test cap at the start of 2018. Not only did Bumrah repaid the selectors’ faith, but his inclusion also shaped the Indian fast bowling attack as one of the strongest in the coming months.

The lanky right-arm bowler took a fifer in his first Test series in South Africa and went on to pocket one more five-wicket haul in England. A six-wicket haul in Australia at the MCG played an integral role in India retaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under. 

In the present year, the Ahmedabad-born speedster took yet another six-wicket haul in the West Indies to extend his dominant run. In only 12 Tests, Bumrah has picked 62 wickets at a stunning average of 19.24. The 25-year old has slipped to number five in the rankings due to not playing for the national team since August because of a stress fracture. Upon his return, he remains the frontrunner to dethrone the Aussie bowler with his staggering amount of growth.