Science friction: Inside the rebuilding of Pat Cummins

[SujitPrakash]

He is the fast bowler who launched a thousand MRIs. A decade on from his Test debut, Australia's go-to quick and potential captain-in waiting reflects on a unique journey of experimentation, determination, support and self-belief

 

 

November, 2011. Some say they would walk over glass to get a Baggy Green.

Well, Pat Cummins pretty much did.

 

On the fourth morning of his very first Test, as he walked to breakfast at the Australian team's hotel in Johannesburg, Cummins was wincing with every step as a knife pierced through the bottom of his heel. Well, at least that's what it felt like. The pain, an early sign his teenage body might not yet be up to the rigours of Test cricket, was precisely why Australia had never blooded a fast bowler so young. Eighteen years old and entrusted with the most physically challenging duty the sport has to offer.

 

Yet there were signs, too, that the Aussies had uncovered a diamond in this sprightly paceman from Penrith. A young quick with an outswinger, a rapid bouncer and an enormous heart. To that point in the Test, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis had been victims of the first of those traits, Jacques Rudolph to the second.

 

The third was about to reveal itself.

 

Reach down and touch the bottom of your foot. Feel that fleshy part under your heel? That's called a 'fat pad'. It absorbs the force that goes through your legs when you run, jump, or land with the force of eight times your body weight on a Wanderers pitch about as forgiving as a slab of concrete. Cummins had done that nearly 200 times in three days. An hour or two after the short walk to the breakfast buffet had seemed beyond him, he was back out in the African sun, holding a ball that was 69 overs old and steeling himself to put in another shift with one very heavily-strapped foot.

 

"I was bowling 10-15k's slower (than from the start of the Test), trying to bowl as fast as I could," Cummins tells cricket.com.au. "I'd never bowled with anywhere near that kind of pain.

 

"I thought, 'How the hell does anyone play 100 Tests?'"

 

South Africa were 199 runs ahead. At the crease were two of the finest batters of their era, AB de Villiers and Amla, on 70 and 89 respectively, to begin day four. Australia, still reeling after the embarrassment of being skittled for 47 in the Test prior, were down one bowler – Shane Watson was incapacitated by a hamstring concern – while another, Mitchell Johnson, was having a confidence crisis and had reverted to bowling off a short run. Despite having the worst ailment of the lot, Cummins was suddenly captain Michael Clarke's most important bowler.

 

"The shock absorption must have gone in it and he had the beginning of a stress fracture," says Alex Kountouris, then the team physiotherapist who would later become CA's head of sport science and medicine, in reference to Cummins' busted heel.

 

"By the end of the game, it became real bad."

 

On day three Cummins had roughed up another modern great, Kallis, in a captivating spell that saw him push the speed dial towards 150kph. A day on, as he acknowledged, he was nowhere close to that. Yet it was on that fourth morning that Cummins gave a glimpse of the intangible piece that elevated him from merely a gun young fast bowler to a once-in-a-generation wunderkind.

 

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/feature/pat-cummins-career-rise-injuries-tests-debut-lillee-kountouris-australia-baggy-green-decade/2021-11-17

 

Excellent read, long read but gives you the insight into a future Aussie captain.

[vvvslaxman]

Yes. His career is quiet an inspirational story. He was one of the highly inury prone bowler at one point. Right now he is the most overloaded bowler in the world. Playing all formats, multiple franchise leagues. Fielding in the deep. Batting when needed. Probably the most fatigued bowler.  An example for other fast bowlers in the world. 

[sandeep]

@SujitPrakash Thank you for sharing this.  

 

Pat Cummins and Jos Buttler are 2 of my absolute favorite non-Indian cricketers.  From the moment I saw Pat Cummins bowl with venom on that absolutely dead as a dodo of a track in that Ranchi test match, I view him as the spiritual heir to Jason Gillespie in terms of temperament and commitment.  But Cummins surpasses Dizzy comfortably in bowling talent.  He's a gem of a cricketer, and a legit good guy too.  Love Pat Cummins.  And his struggle to resurrect his career is nothing short of amazing.  Quite an inspiration to the likes of Nagarkoti, or any other young pace bowler struggling with injury - which is almost a given in the trade.  

 

 

[Jay]

Champion bowler. I loathe him as a competitor but gee he is a generational bowler. 

 

Bumrah and Cummins are probably the best of this era. 

 

[SujitPrakash]

On 11/18/2021 at 11:51 AM, sandeep said:

@SujitPrakash Thank you for sharing this.  

 

Pat Cummins and Jos Buttler are 2 of my absolute favorite non-Indian cricketers.  From the moment I saw Pat Cummins bowl with venom on that absolutely dead as a dodo of a track in that Ranchi test match, I view him as the spiritual heir to Jason Gillespie in terms of temperament and commitment.  But Cummins surpasses Dizzy comfortably in bowling talent.  He's a gem of a cricketer, and a legit good guy too.  Love Pat Cummins.  And his struggle to resurrect his career is nothing short of amazing.  Quite an inspiration to the likes of Nagarkoti, or any other young pace bowler struggling with injury - which is almost a given in the trade.  

 

 

 

He is a gun, met him and spoke to him for a few minutes, great human being but on the field he gives 200% for the Aussies.

 

Most Indians don't seem to understand with the their on field persona is very different to the of field persona, Indian "superstars" can learn a lot.

[Number]

Going through a series of injuries in 18-22 years of age is not something new. Almost all fast bowlers suffer stress fracture in this age.

Although a lot of bowlers fade away in this time, change action, become slower but those who last over the time their body gets stronger. They develop ability to cope with some pain. 

26-27 to 32 are the best years for them.

[Jay]

On 11/18/2021 at 8:56 AM, SujitPrakash said:

He is the fast bowler who launched a thousand MRIs. A decade on from his Test debut, Australia's go-to quick and potential captain-in waiting reflects on a unique journey of experimentation, determination, support and self-belief

 

 

November, 2011. Some say they would walk over glass to get a Baggy Green.

Well, Pat Cummins pretty much did.

 

On the fourth morning of his very first Test, as he walked to breakfast at the Australian team's hotel in Johannesburg, Cummins was wincing with every step as a knife pierced through the bottom of his heel. Well, at least that's what it felt like. The pain, an early sign his teenage body might not yet be up to the rigours of Test cricket, was precisely why Australia had never blooded a fast bowler so young. Eighteen years old and entrusted with the most physically challenging duty the sport has to offer.

 

Yet there were signs, too, that the Aussies had uncovered a diamond in this sprightly paceman from Penrith. A young quick with an outswinger, a rapid bouncer and an enormous heart. To that point in the Test, Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis had been victims of the first of those traits, Jacques Rudolph to the second.

 

The third was about to reveal itself.

 

Reach down and touch the bottom of your foot. Feel that fleshy part under your heel? That's called a 'fat pad'. It absorbs the force that goes through your legs when you run, jump, or land with the force of eight times your body weight on a Wanderers pitch about as forgiving as a slab of concrete. Cummins had done that nearly 200 times in three days. An hour or two after the short walk to the breakfast buffet had seemed beyond him, he was back out in the African sun, holding a ball that was 69 overs old and steeling himself to put in another shift with one very heavily-strapped foot.

 

"I was bowling 10-15k's slower (than from the start of the Test), trying to bowl as fast as I could," Cummins tells cricket.com.au. "I'd never bowled with anywhere near that kind of pain.

 

"I thought, 'How the hell does anyone play 100 Tests?'"

 

South Africa were 199 runs ahead. At the crease were two of the finest batters of their era, AB de Villiers and Amla, on 70 and 89 respectively, to begin day four. Australia, still reeling after the embarrassment of being skittled for 47 in the Test prior, were down one bowler – Shane Watson was incapacitated by a hamstring concern – while another, Mitchell Johnson, was having a confidence crisis and had reverted to bowling off a short run. Despite having the worst ailment of the lot, Cummins was suddenly captain Michael Clarke's most important bowler.

 

"The shock absorption must have gone in it and he had the beginning of a stress fracture," says Alex Kountouris, then the team physiotherapist who would later become CA's head of sport science and medicine, in reference to Cummins' busted heel.

 

"By the end of the game, it became real bad."

 

On day three Cummins had roughed up another modern great, Kallis, in a captivating spell that saw him push the speed dial towards 150kph. A day on, as he acknowledged, he was nowhere close to that. Yet it was on that fourth morning that Cummins gave a glimpse of the intangible piece that elevated him from merely a gun young fast bowler to a once-in-a-generation wunderkind.

 

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/feature/pat-cummins-career-rise-injuries-tests-debut-lillee-kountouris-australia-baggy-green-decade/2021-11-17

 

Excellent read, long read but gives you the insight into a future Aussie captain.

Want to know the truth? Steroids. 

Aussie coaching staff all have afl backgrounds. Afl are pioneers in doping. So are nrl teams. Cummins has all the access in the world. No disrespect to Cummins who is probably the best bowler in tests along with bumrah. His tansformation is suspect 100%. Afl coaching staff links clearly indicates something fishy. 

[SujitPrakash]

4 hours ago, Jay said:

Want to know the truth? Steroids. 

Aussie coaching staff all have afl backgrounds. Afl are pioneers in doping. So are nrl teams. Cummins has all the access in the world. No disrespect to Cummins who is probably the best bowler in tests along with bumrah. His tansformation is suspect 100%. Afl coaching staff links clearly indicates something fishy. 

 

WOW you have proof that all Aussies are on steroids? Out of all the testing regimes in place in Aussie sports, you seem to have inside knowledge.

 

Would love to know who your contacts are in Aussie sports, no doubt a few are on steroids not saying Aussie sports are clean, like sports around the world there are a few that are on the roids.

Edited November 22, 2021 by SujitPrakash

[Jay]

36 minutes ago, SujitPrakash said:

 

WOW you have proof that all Aussies are on steroids? Out of all the testing regimes in place in Aussie sports, you seem to have inside knowledge.

 

Would love to know who your contacts are in Aussie sports, no doubt a few are on steroids not saying Aussie sports are clean, like sports around the world there are a few that are on the roids.

All of afl and nrl are on Steroids. 100%. My mates brother plays for Melbourne storm. Nrl side. 80% on Steroids. His name is Welch. Riddled eith Steroids. 

Kid used to be built like a pencil. On the gear as soon as he got drafted in. 

 

Don't get me wrong, he had natural talent. They pick the most technical players that show top level athleticism. Everyone grows at different stages though. He already had the natural flair for rugby. What storm did is just polished his skills and help him get on gear to be a top level athlete. 

[SujitPrakash]

23 minutes ago, Jay said:

All of afl and nrl are on Steroids. 100%. My mates brother plays for Melbourne storm. Nrl side. 80% on Steroids. His name is Welch. Riddled eith Steroids. 

Kid used to be built like a pencil. On the gear as soon as he got drafted in. 

 

Don't get me wrong, he had natural talent. They pick the most technical players that show top level athleticism. Everyone grows at different stages though. He already had the natural flair for rugby. What storm did is just polished his skills and help him get on gear to be a top level athlete. 

We all know NRL is on steroids, that's not news.

[Mesky99]

On 11/18/2021 at 12:51 AM, sandeep said:

@SujitPrakash Thank you for sharing this.  

 

Pat Cummins and Jos Buttler are 2 of my absolute favorite non-Indian cricketers.  From the moment I saw Pat Cummins bowl with venom on that absolutely dead as a dodo of a track in that Ranchi test match, I view him as the spiritual heir to Jason Gillespie in terms of temperament and commitment.  But Cummins surpasses Dizzy comfortably in bowling talent.  He's a gem of a cricketer, and a legit good guy too.  Love Pat Cummins.  And his struggle to resurrect his career is nothing short of amazing.  Quite an inspiration to the likes of Nagarkoti, or any other young pace bowler struggling with injury - which is almost a given in the trade.  

 

 

James pattinson was as good imo, similar in physique to Cummins but he had that special ability to cramp it quick, 145kph plus. He probably too spent most of his career on the sidelines due to injury, a remodeled action could have elevated his career a bit more.

 

 

[Jay]

10 hours ago, SujitPrakash said:

We all know NRL is on steroids, that's not news.

Fast bowlers in cricket too. To a lesser extent though.