Former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes that Pat Cummins should be the next man to lead the Australian cricket team in all three formats of the game. Pat Cummins has risen to the top of the cricketing world in recent years and has been one of the best bowlers in limited over as well as the five-day cricket matches. The 26-year-old is ranked number one in ICC rankings for test bowlers and Clarke believes that the pacer makes a good case to be Australia’s next captain. Virat Kohli Loses Number-One Spot to Steve Smith in Latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Michael Clarke praised current Australia captain Tim Paine but believes that Pat Cummins should take over once the 35-year-old hangs his boots. ‘Tim Paine's done a wonderful job, there's no doubt about it. He's earned the right to continue to captain Australia until it's time for him to retire’ said Clarke. ‘Tim is 35, and I imagine he will be thinking about that after this Australian summer. If Australia can win there (during a home series against India) that's an ideal time for Tim to walk away on top.’ The former Australian captain added.

After this Clarke went on to justify as to why he thinks that Pat Cummins should take over the Australian captaincy mantle. ‘Cummins reads the game really well. Yes, he's an opening bowler, but he can bat. He's brilliant in the field. He sees the game how a captain needs to.’ Clarke also added that he does not think Steve Smith is currently the right man to captain Australia. ‘Steve Smith is Australia’s best batsman, but I don’t necessarily think he is the right man to captain Australia.’ The 38-year-old said.

Steve Smith will become eligible to lead Australia in less than a month following the two-year leadership ban imposed upon him by Cricket Australia. Steve Smith has been brilliant since his return onto the pitch but whether he will be reinstated as captain is yet to be seen.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 02, 2020 08:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).