Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins bowls right-arm fast with a side-on action that generates steep bounce and excellent seam movement. He approaches the crease off a long, rhythmical run-up that deceives batters about the pace he generates. His primary weapons are the late outswinger, the well-directed bouncer, and a sharp off-cutter that moves enough to take edges. Against the world's top order batters, his consistency of line and length makes him difficult to attack, producing wickets even when conditions don't favour pace bowlers.

His Test bowling in the 2023 WTC Final at The Oval demonstrated his full range — he swung the ball prodigiously in overcast English conditions, taking key wickets in both innings to help Australia win by 209 runs. That performance, following Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup victory two months later, confirmed him as the best all-conditions fast bowler in world cricket.

As captain, Cummins is data-driven and communicative. He was appointed in 2021 following Tim Paine's resignation and immediately galvanised the team. His leadership style is democratic — he consults senior players — but decisive when it matters. His record of winning multiple major ICC tournaments in a short period is the benchmark for Test captaincy in the 2020s.