Australia Test and ODI captain joins T20 World Cup teammate Nathan Ellis and WA quick Lance Morris in the American league
World Cup-winning captain Pat Cummins will extend his stay in North America following this month’s global T20 tournament after signing with San Fransisco Unicorns for the upcoming Major League Cricket season.
Cummins is the latest of 19 Australians to commit to the second edition of the United States league and is tipped to fill a leadership void at the Cricket Victoria-partnered Unicorns left by the retirement of fellow World Cup-winning skipper Aaron Finch, who captained the franchise in the inaugural season.
The 31-year-old is fresh off leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to this year’s Indian Premier League final and told cricket.com.au ahead of Australia’s T20 World Cup tilt that he’s bowling as well as he has for 10 years in the shortest format.
“We played 17 games straight (at the IPL) … so just getting the pace of the game and executing some of those balls that you need more in T20 cricket than in other formats, I feel really well placed,” he said.
Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis has also signed with the Unicorns for the upcoming season, which will have a strong Aussie flavour in 2024 with Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short and Brody Couch already part of the squad.
Quicks Nathan Ellis and Lance Morris have also inked deals with the Seattle Orcas, joining West Australian paceman Cameron Gannon who qualifies as a domestic player due to his mum’s American heritage.
Gannon’s state teammate Aaron Hardie is another to join the MLC ranks and will play for the Texas Super Kings alongside Victorian Cameron Stevenson, who like Couch and Gannon, is a local listed player.
Major League Cricket chief executive, Vijay Srinivasan, said Cummins’ inclusion underscored their global impact and success of the inaugural season.
“Signing a world-class player like Pat Cummins is a testament to the calibre of talent the league is attracting,” he said.
“It elevates the level of competition fans will get to see and experience on home soil and showcases our commitment to bringing the top-tier players in the world to play in America’s very own league.”
The MLC was last week granted List A status, meaning players’ performances will count towards their official T20 career record.
The league’s second season gets underway with a double-header on July 5, just six days after the T20 World Cup final.
Australians in the 2024 MLC
LA Knight Riders: Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
MI New York: Tim David
San Francisco Unicorns: Pat Cummins, Josh Inglis, Matt Short, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Brody Couch (domestic signing)
Seattle Orcas: Nathan, Ellis, Lance Morris, Cameron Gannon (domestic signing)
Texas Super Kings: Aaron Hardie, Cameron Stevenson (domestic signing)
Washington Freedom: Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head, Steve Smith, Jack Edwards, Andrew Tye, Ian Holland (domestic signing)