According to the team named on Friday for the Boxing Day Test, Travis Head is also the joint vice-captain for Australia. He shares the co-vice-captaincy with Steve Smith who will effectively step in with the leaders’ armband in Cummins’ absence from the field.
It was not the first time, and Cummins was co-captain with Head himself, when Tim Paine led the Baggie Greens.
Explaining the system, Wisden wrote, ‘Australia have had two Test vice-captains for nearly six years, the latest example being when they promoted the left-hander to the role ahead of the Pakistan Test series in December 2023.’
Cummins was quoted by Wisden last year as saying, “Really excited to have Trav on board as co-captain. He’s been playing for a long time. He’s always been a leader in our group. So we thought it was a good time to formally recognise.”
The rationale is that the head needs to be prepared for ease at work, which may not be imminent. “Even if nothing is imminent, Steve won’t play forever. I daresay he’ll be captain forever. So I feel like we have a responsibility to future-proof the team and start trying to give opportunities to other leaders,” Cummins said from last year.
Cummins and Head succeeded previous co-captains Mitchell Marsh and Jos Hazlewood in 2019. “Head lost the title in the 2020-21 home series against India, only to be reinstated three years later,” wrote Wisden.
Cummins made it clear that being co-captain does not guarantee succession. “It doesn’t guarantee anything. But we’re giving him a good opportunity. So when you look at candidates for future captaincy, of course, he’s going to be there. And I know that in my last two years before I was captain, as vice-captain, those Some of the conversations helped fast-track my preparation. So down the track, it could be Trav, it could be somebody else, but we want to make sure they’re as prepared as possible,” Cummins said.
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