Pat Cummins

Things changed in the 2016-17 season, when a big lift in his fitness let him return. He was chosen for the Test tour of India in early 2017 and played two Tests in a row in demanding conditions. He also played in the IPL that year, where working alongside Zaheer Khan helped his development. After the Bangladesh tour he earned a spot in the home Ashes of 2017-18, taking important wickets and adding useful runs as Australia won back the urn. In early 2019 he was made Test vice-captain, a role shared with Travis Head, and a month later he received the Allan Border Medal. He also reached number 1 in the ICC Test bowling rankings, the first Australian bowler to do so since Glenn McGrath. After a quiet 2019 World Cup, he took 29 wickets in 5 matches in the following Ashes, more than anyone on either side.

When Tim Paine resigned in 2021, Cummins became Australia's full-time Test captain, the first fast bowler from the country to hold the job, with Steve Smith as his deputy. His side won that Ashes 4-0. He added the limited-overs captaincy in 2022 after Aaron Finch retired. In 2023 he led Australia to the World Test Championship, beating India by 209 runs at The Oval. He then captained the team to the 2023 World Cup title. In the final he bowled slower bouncers and cutters and removed Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli in front of a crowd of more than a lakh. Australia then beat Pakistan 3-0 in Tests but lost to West Indies at the Gabba, where Shamar Joseph starred. At the 2024 T20 World Cup he became the first player to take hat-tricks in consecutive matches.

In the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders first signed him in 2014, though he got few chances over his first two seasons. In 2017 he joined the Delhi franchise and took 14 wickets in 12 games while the team finished near the bottom. After two years away he returned in 2020, when Kolkata paid 15.5 crore for him, and his highlights there included a 14-ball fifty against Mumbai Indians. Following the World Cup win, Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for 20.5 crore, the second-highest price of that auction. He was made captain, guided the side to the final with an attacking approach, and was retained before the mega auction.