'It sends a bad message that everyone’s perfect' - New Australian captain Pat Cummins comes out in support of Tim Paine

A new era is set to get underway in Australian cricket with Pat Cummins replacing Tim Paine as Test captain. Fast bowlers leading the team in the longest format hasn’t been a popular idea. Hence, Cummins would be raring to break the stereotypes and take Aussie cricket to great heights.  However, the talismanic speedster has a stern task ahead with his maiden leadership assignment in national colours being the high-voltage Ashes series at home, which gets underway on December 8.

For the unversed, Cummins was appointed after Paine stepped down from the position in awake of the infamous ‘sexting scandal.’ Back in 2017, Paine had sent several inappropriate messages an unsolicited explicit pic to a female colleague in Cricket Tasmania. With the matter coming out in public recently, the wicketkeeper, who had been leading the Test team since 2018, found it best to give up his role.

You’ve got to have permission to grow: Pat Cummins

Speaking of the episode, Cummins criticized Cricket Australia’s way of handling the matter. He also defended Paine, saying players should be allowed to make mistakes and it’s a part of their personal development.

On being asked whether captains are being ‘put on a pedestal’ by the Australian public and the media, Cummins opined: “I’d say I’m not overly comfortable all the time about that. I think that’s probably really hit home in the last few days seeing Tim. I think a lot of the pressure and the responsibility on being perfect is unreasonable. I think it’s too much to ask of anyone. You’ve got to have permission to grow.”

Meanwhile, Paine, 36, has taken an indefinite break from cricket citing mental health reasons. Hence, he won’t feature in the upcoming Ashes series. Notably, CA chairman Richard Freudenstein had recently said that not sacking Paine back in 2018, when the Australian board first came to know about the fiasco, was a mistake. However, Cummins has a different perspective over this.

“We’re going to have players coming into the side who are teenagers, fresh out of school. They’ve got to be allowed to fail and know that they’re allowed to grow from that. I think at times it sends a bad message that everyone’s perfect and that no one has got any flaws. I’m certainly going to be standing up for players if they make some minor mistakes – they’re opportunities to grow from,” asserted the top-ranked Test bowler.