Australian skipper Pat Cummins celebrates 31st birthday with father

HYDERABAD: Australian and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Pat Cummins celebrated his 31st birthday with his father on Wednesday. The Aussie cricket superstar, who is a fierce competitor and has led Australia to ODI World Cup triumph and World Test Championship titles last year, has also won ICC Cricketer of the Year award.

The official X (formerly Twitter) handle of SRH posted a picture of Cummins, with his face smeared with birthday cake, celebrating his birthday with his father Peter. "Wholesomeness levels @patcummins30's dad joins in on the birthday fun," tweeted SRH.

Since his international debut for Australia as a teenager back in 2011, Cummins has worn the prestigious Baggy Green cap in 62 Tests. In these, he has taken 269 wickets at an average of 22.53, with the best bowling figures of 6/23. He is the 10th-highest wicket-taker for Australia in the longest format.

He has 12 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls in the format. He is also a capable lower-order batter, having won Australia numerous games with his shot-making and calmness. In 62 Tests and 89 innings, he has scored 1,295 runs at an average of 17.03, with three half-centuries. His best score is 64*.

The numbers do not really do justice to Cummins' immense ability to soak pressure and hold an end steady with his bat.

In 88 ODIs, Cummins has taken 141 wickets at an average of 28.66, with the best bowling figures of 5/70. He has taken six four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul in ODIs. He is the 13th-highest wicket-taker in ODIs for Aussies. He has also scored 492 runs at an average of 13.66, with the best score being 37. In 52 T20Is, Cummins has taken 57 wickets at an average of 24.77, with the best figures of 3/15. He is the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the format for Australia.

He has also scored 144 runs in 24 innings at an average of 11.07, with 28 as his best score. Cummins has won numerous ICC titles with Australia, being the part of 2015 and 2023 World Cup-winning squads. The 2023 WC win is a memorable victory for Australia as they beat a seemingly unstoppable India, having come to the final with a 10-match win streak. The match was played in Ahmedabad in November last year. The 31-year-old has also secured the ICC World Test Championship mace for Australia, beating India in the final just last year. He was also the part of ICC T20 World Cup winning side in 2021.

The year 2023 was incredible for Cummins. Though he started the year with a personal loss, the death of his mother, he retained the Ashes against England in UK. He was also the number one Test bowler. He was also brought by SRH in the IPL for Rs 20.50 crore, becoming the second-most expensive player in the league's history.

Cummins concluded the year with a five-wicket haul against Pakistan in a Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and winning the 'ICC Cricketer of the Year' award.

Cummins-led SRH are currently at the fourth spot with six wins and five losses. He has taken 13 wickets at an average of 30.53, with the best bowling spell of 3/43. He has led SRH from the front this year, playing an aggressive brand of cricket. He has also made some decent contributions with the bat.