AHMEDABAD: Pat Cummins may be an unusual captain, but on Sunday he played a role described as “phenomenal” as he led Australia to their sixth World Cup triumph in a victory over India.
Cricket teams are often reluctant to appoint fast bowlers such as Cummins as their skipper because of concerns the extra workload will distract them from taking wickets.
But Cummins, thrust into the captaincy just days before the start of the 2021/22 Ashes after Tim Paine’s shock resignation after a ‘sexting’ scandal, still led Australia to a 4-0 series win over England.
Then in June this year, Cummins oversaw Australia’s 209-run thrashing of India in the World Test Championship final at The Oval.
Cummins, 30, also doesn’t fit the ‘macho’ image of an Australia captain established by abrasive skippers such as Ian Chappell, Allan Border and Steve Waugh, although the paceman was accused of plotting the downfall of the similarly gritty former coach Justin Langer.
Following a defeat by India in the second Test in Delhi this year, Border said: “I’d be playing with a harder edge... The Kiwis (New Zealand), they are the ones that play the goodie two shoes.”
Cummins’ membership of the ‘Cricket for Climate’ group, meanwhile, led to suggestions he had influenced Cricket Australia to abandon a sponsorship deal with energy company Alinta — an accusation both he and his bosses denied.
He has been labeled “woke” by some critics.
“I don’t even know what ‘woke’ means,” Cummins told the Sydney Morning Herald in January. “It’s a label, it means nothing.”
But few opponents would call Cummins, an outstanding bowler with 239 wickets in 55 Tests at 22.94 apiece and 141 in 88 one-day internationals at 28.66, a soft touch.
His steel was evident when he refused to withdraw an appeal after Jonny Bairstow was controversially given out stumped during an Ashes Test at Lord’s in July, despite the England batsman thinking the ball was dead.
Australia won that match and retained the Ashes in a series drawn 2-2.
Cummins knows about resilience given injuries meant he endured a six-year wait for a second Test appearance after a debut as an 18-year-old.
And Cummins, a shining light following the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa that cost Steve Smith the captaincy, has now led his country to a record-extending sixth World Cup title — despite defeats in their opening two matches.
“Pat Cummins was phenomenal, I think he’s been phenomenal all tournament with his decision making,” said teammate Mitchell Starc on Sunday.
Cummins has also demonstrated calmness when required.
That was evident when, with Australia having collapsed to 91-7, he held up an end as Glenn Maxwell’s spectacular double century sealed a remarkable three-wicket pool victory over Afghanistan in Mumbai.
He also then held his nerve with the bat in a tense semifinal run-chase against South Africa.
“We’ve had to fight for every win, but we’ve found a way to win,” he said.
‘Phenomenal’ captain Cummins secures World Cup moment of glory
https://arab.news/ypbu9
‘Phenomenal’ captain Cummins secures World Cup moment of glory
- Pat Cummins led Australia to their sixth World Cup title after beating Sharma’s India
- Cummins led Australia to their World Test Championship title this year as well
Pakistan, global crypto exchange discuss modernizing digital payments, creating job prospects
- Pakistani officials, Binance team discuss coordination between Islamabad, local banks and global exchanges
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance officials and the team of a global cryptocurrency exchange on Friday held discussions aimed at modernizing the country’s digital payments system and building local talent pipelines to meet rising demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, the finance ministry said.
The development took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, domestic bank presidents and a Binance team led by Global CEO Richard Teng. The meeting was held to advance work on Pakistan’s National Digital Asset Framework, a regulatory setup to govern Pakistan’s digital assets.
Pakistan has been moving to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight, and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Participants reviewed opportunities to modernize Pakistan’s digital payments landscape, noting that blockchain-based systems could significantly reduce costs from the country’s $38 billion annual remittance flows,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
“Discussions also emphasized building local talent pipelines to meet rising global demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, creating high-value employment prospects for Pakistani youth.”
Blockchain is a type of digital database that is shared, transparent and tamper-resistant. Instead of being stored on one computer, the data is kept on a distributed network of computers, making it very hard to alter or hack.
Web3 refers to the next generation of the Internet built using blockchain, focusing on giving users more control over their data, identity and digital assets rather than big tech companies controlling it.
Participants of the meeting also discussed sovereign debt tokenization, which is the process of converting a country’s debt such as government bonds, into digital tokens on a blockchain, the ministry said.
Aurangzeb called for close coordination between the government, domestic banks and global exchanges to modernize Pakistan’s payment landscape.
Participants of the meeting also discussed considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage users to move assets onto regulated platforms, stressing the need for stronger verifications and a risk-mitigation system.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
