Pat Cummins feels nice about skipper Paine picking him as contender for Test captaincy

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins feels nice about skipper Tim Paine rating him as one of contenders for future Test captaincy but says topic is just a moot point as wicket-keeper is still playing. Discussions about who should lead Australia whenever 35-year-old Paine retires are ongoing. Former captain Steve Smith's leadership ban has also expired. Earlier this week, Paine named Smith, Cummins, Travis Head, Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne among those who could take up captaincy. 

"It's nice to hear"

Former skipper Michael Clarke has long been pushing for Cummins -- current vice-captain -- to lead national side.

"It's nice to hear, (I) don't think it makes me want it more or less. I'm glad being a vice-captain underneath him that I get that d. He's brilliant," Cummins was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"Like I've said a hundred times before, I kind of feel it's t quite right talking about captaincy w when we've got someone like Painey and Finchy (limited-overs captain Aaron Finch) doing great jobs. We'll see down track, but at moment it's bit of a moot point."

26-year-old Cummins, who has taken 143 wickets from 30 Tests since making his debut in 2011, is expected to top Cricket Australia's contract list for 2020-21 whenever it is anunced, underling his importance in Justin Langer's team. 26-year-old has become most resilient member of attack after an injury-plagued start to his career. He was appointed one of Paine's deputies last year, but currently has captaincy experience at domestic level. "In perfect world, your first experience of being captain - say Australian captain, you've (already) had quite a bit of experience leading and you kw exactly what it entails," he said. "But things don't always work out as exactly as you planned."