No captain of the Australian Test cricket team—and there have now been 47 of them—has ascended to the most revered throne in Australian sport in such excruciatingly sad circumstances than the golden boy Pat Cummins. And few have been immediately confronted with such a weighty first assignment—or so much goodwill. Australian cricket—indeed, the game at large—was being confronted by issues of image and culture in various ways and Cummins’ arrival in a position of such power and influence on and off the field of play had a lot going for it. Captain Pat: Cometh the Hour, Cummins the Man is the first book to focus on the Australian international cricketer and Captain of the Australian Test team.
From his early life to his arrival as a Test cricketer at a remarkably early age, his frustrations with injury, and his arrival as the 47th Australian Test Captain, he is a player who took Australia and the cricket world by storm the moment he first donned the famous baggy green cap.
Award-winning sports writer Ron Reed pays tribute to Pat Cummins and examines his scorecard: how has he played, how did he lead, how was he rated by the fans, and what is his future?
Ron Reed is one of Australia’s most experienced and acclaimed sports journalists, whose work over more than 50 years has earned numerous awards, including Sport Australia’s Lifetime Achievement Award and Australian Sportswriter of the Year. Now a semi-retired freelance writer, he was twice Sports Editor of the Melbourne Herald evening paper, Editor of the old Sporting Globe, and
Chief Sportswriter, columnist and feature writer for the Herald Sun, Australia’s biggest selling daily paper. He has worked in more than 30 countries on every continent covering most of the world’s major sports events multiple times, including nine Olympic Games, seven Commonwealth Games, several editions of cycling’s Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, numerous cricket tours, major tennis and golf tournaments, world championships in athletics, swimming, road and track cycling, triathlon, hockey and rowing as well as America’s Cup sailing, horse racing and all of the football codes. He is the author of the bestselling Barty, about Australian tennis champion and World No. 1 Ash Barty.
* The first book to focus on Australian international cricketer and Captain of the Australian Test team Pat Cummins.
* The book includes direct input from Cummins on the challenges presented by the Ashes series against England, his leadership priorities, the performances of his team-mates, the personality traits that make him tick, the frustrations of long years in the wilderness because of injury, and his relationship with Australia’s greatest fast bowler Dennis Lillee.
* How did this specialist fast bowler get entrusted with the Test captaincy and what will his legacy be?
* Cricket is Australia’s No. 1 international sport and dominates national ratings. This is a must-read for cricket and general sport fans, as well as sport and general biography readers looking for a fast-paced and highly entertaining read.
* Features comprehensive summaries, statistics and averages from each of the five Tests of the 2021-22 Ashes series, with special attention to Cummins’ own performances.
* Beyond Cummins, the book offers an in-depth examination of the Ashes series and the controversies that contributed to it, including former captain Tim Paine’s unfortunate departure and Cummins’ part in the messy exit of long-serving coach Justin Langer.
Publicity:
* Coverage in national newspapers, publications and radio including ABC National, 3AW, SEN, Fox Sports, ESPN Australia, Inside Sport and more.
