Pat Cummins' top milestones in 2023

Pat Cummins wasn't just good in 2023, he was unstoppable. First, he went on to win the World Test Championship crown. Then, he retained the Ashes on English soil. But the story wasn't over just yet.

Under his captaincy, Australia conquered the ODI World Cup, defeating India in a dramatic final in front of a jam-packed Narendra Modi Stadium. Cummins' leadership was evident throughout the year, but his individual performances were equally remarkable.

He finished 2023 with 42 Test wickets in just 19 innings, placing him second in the world for the year. In the Ashes, Pat Cummins picked up 18 wickets in nine innings with an impressive economy rate of 4.27. This performance earned him the fourth-highest wicket-taker in Ashes 2023 and the second-most wickets for Australia in the series. His spell in the World Cup final in Ahmedabad was a sign of a captain in sheer control and with a certain plan. 

He picked up crucial wickets of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer while conceding just 34 runs, not giving away a single boundary. Not only did Pat Cummins excel with the ball, but he also contributed with the bat.

His partnership with Glenn Maxwell against Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup became the highest eighth-wicket partnership in ODI cricket history, a remarkable feat further underscored by being the first double-century partnership for a wicket number eight or lower in ODIs. Cummins played with admirable composure, remaining unbeaten with a strike rate of 17.64 from 68 balls, providing crucial support to Maxwell when the team needed it most. 

In the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, his incredible spell (10/97) earned him the Johnny Mullagh Medal, making him the second Australian to do so and the first Australian captain.  

Meanwhile, let's look at the numbers and milestones Pat Cummins achieved in 2023. 

1 - Pat Cummins became the first-ever captain to take a ten-wicket haul in a Test match in Melbourne. 

 1 - Pat Cummins finished 2023 with 59 wickets across formats, becoming the Australian captain with the most wickets in a calendar year. He surpassed the longstanding record of Richie Benaud, who claimed 54 wickets in 1959. 

 1 - Pat Cummins became the first-ever captain to take five-fers in both innings of a Boxing Day Test.

 1 - Pat Cummins became the only captain to win two ICC trophies in the same year (WTC 2023, ODI WC 2023). 

 1 - Pat Cummins became the first-ever Australian captain to take five-fers in both Innings of the match.

 1 -  Pat Cummins' INR 54.15 crore across six auctions Yuvraj Singh's record, making him the most expensive IPL player ever. 

 252 - Pat Cummins completed 250 Test Wickets.

 2 - Pat Cummins became the second-most expensive player in IPL history after being snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 20.5 crore in the IPL 2024 auction. 

 2 - Pat Cummins' (10/97) against Pakistan makes him the second Australian captain in Test history to achieve a ten-wicket haul. The only other to accomplish this feat was Allan Border, who took 11/96 against West Indies in 1989. 

 2 - Pat Cummins concluded 2023 with 42 Test wickets, placing him second on the list for the year. His teammate, Nathan Lyon, topped the leaderboard with 47 wickets. 

 2 - Pat Cummins concluded 2023 with 42 Test wickets, which is the second-most by an Australian captain in a calendar year. The most remains Richie Benaud's 54 wickets in 1959. 

 3 - Pat Cummins reached the milestone of 250 Test wickets in just 55 matches, tying the record for the third-fastest Australian bowler to achieve this feat alongside Mitchell Johnson. Dennis Lillee still holds the top spot with 48 matches, followed by Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, both tied at 55 matches. 

 3  - Pat Cummins became the third player ever to win the ODI World Cup as both captain and player, joining Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke in this exclusive club. 

 3 - Pat Cummins's (6/91) in the third Test against England at Leeds 2023 this exceptional performance earned him a spot as the third-best bowling figure in an innings by an Ashes captain, alongside legends like Monty Noble (6/52 in 1948) and Richie Benaud (6/70 in 1955). 

1 - Maxwell and Cummins' epic stand of 202 is not only the highest eighth-wicket partnership in ODI history, but it also marks the first time an eighth-wicket partnership or lower has crossed the 200-run mark in ODIs.