Cummins said that he was not very greedy for success due to his young age, but he recalled that he felt less pressure considering that he debuted quickly and lacked experience.
“I was saying this to Sam the other day. I remember being 18 and thinking I had more leeway because I was younger,” Cummins said. “If I didn’t play well it felt like it wasn’t my fault, it was the selectors’ fault who chose me. It was like they were fools who picked an 18-year-old. It’s Boxing Day when you start your career so young. It couldn’t be better, so just enjoy the moment.
“I spent a little bit of time wondering why and how I was there and how it happened so fast. I remember being really excited and it was similar to Sammy this week. There’s a level of innocence where you just want to go out and play. It’s like being in the backyard. Just like when you were a kid, play games, have fun, and don’t overthink it.
“That’s my message to Sam. That’s how I felt when I was 18: it was exciting. When the game starts, you go into game mode and it’s just like any other game.”
Referring to his experience in Johannesburg, Cummins added: “I remember on my debut trying to score by hitting Dale Steyn in the head and I thought it made sense at the time. Looking back now I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’d have been crucified if that hadn’t come off.’ ‘So I think there’s some benefit to that naivety.
Konstas had a strong support group – friends, family and mentor Shane Watson – who flew to Melbourne for his debut, but Cummins sensed someone was coping well with his dramatic rise.
“He’s very relaxed and funny, loves to tell jokes and take the mickey out of himself and other people,” Cummins said. “We always encourage him to be himself. He seems to have a good arm for a 19-year-old, so we are supporting him.”
Konstas’ debut will be one of two changes for Australia in the Gabba Test, with Scott Boland returning to home ground in place of the injured Josh Hazlewood. Travis Head had a fitness test on Christmas Day after leaving Brisbane with a quad strain, but Cummins said he was “fully fit”.
Head was the most successful batsman of the series, scoring 409 runs in five innings with back-to-back centuries in Adelaide and Brisbane. The next highest score is KL Rahul’s 235 runs. He would have been a huge hole to fill in the batting order. “He’s hitting the ball better than anyone I’ve ever seen,” Cummins said. “I hope this continues for a long time.”
If the Melbourne Test goes a long way, there will be just three days left until the final match at the SCG on January 3. On Christmas Eve, coach Andrew McDonald was confident about Cummins and Mitchell Starc but they could be challenged at pace. You will be able to pass. The overall workload was not very high as the Adelaide Test was short and Brisbane was heavily affected by rain.
Andrew McGlashan is deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo.
