Miguel Cummins caught up with Jackson Mansell for the first episode of the Scribe Sports interview series.
(Reuters)
Every person in the world has had a dream. Whether that might be to travel the world, become famous, or to play your favourite sport at the highest level, everyone has had a dream.
Miguel Cummins dreamed of playing for the West Indies from a young age, and after hard work and endeavour, Cummins would make his ODI debut in 2014, which was followed by his test debut two years later.
The fast bowler was on cloud nine after taking 6-48 in his second test match against India, who were then ranked as the number one test team in the world.
However in October 2019, the West Indian made the tough decision to sign with Middlesex in the English County Championship, becoming the last player to sign under the Kolpak rule. The ruling meant that Cummins could never play international cricket again.
Growing up in Barbados, Cummins watched the West Indian team of the late 90's dominate on the world stage. Success on the world stage resulted in most Barbadians having the same dream as the West Indian fast bowler, to one day have the sunny island crest embroidered on their top.
Attending the same school as the late great Malcolm Marshall, Cummins told Scribe Sports about how competitive school cricket was, not just for Parkinson Memorial Secondary School, but for all of Barbados.
“School cricket at that time was a huge thing and everyone wanted to play cricket because playing for Barbados at that point was [the] pinnacle [for] a youngster,” he said.
Great form at Parkinson Memorial Secondary School gave the Barbados native the opportunity to play for Wavertree as a 17-year-old in the Liverpool and District Cricket Competition.
Idolising the deadly duo of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, Cummins also had the ability to intimidate with his pace and height. So much so, that some of his teammates were intimidated.
“Our ground wasn’t big … so our keeper used to start very close to the boundary … It was very funny to watch him sometimes,” he said.
The turning point in Miguel’s career was when he took 35 wickets in the 2012-13 Regional Four Day Competition for Barbados, putting himself in the frame for international selection.
It was at that moment Miguel realised that he could play for the West Indies.
“Once I believed in myself, I put in the work, I told myself ... this is where I want to be at. There’s a lot of opportunities out there for me playing cricket,” he said.
Listen to the full episode here.
Cummins experienced a full circle moment during his international debut against Ireland in 2014, when he rubbed shoulders with players who he watched on TV.
“You’re the youngest guy, a bit shy … you’ve been watching these guys play on TV, and to be sharing a dressing room with them [was] a big privilege,” he said.
After his ODI debut, the paceman would have to wait two years to play his next international match, in what would be his test debut. The task at hand? The new world number one test team, India.
Cummins got off to a rough start at the beginning of his test career, going wicketless in his first 280 balls, before taking three wickets off his next 10 deliveries.
“After the third wicket I was like ‘woah, this is how it feels getting your teammates back[ing you in]. It felt good to get that monkey off your back," he said.
With his first wickets coming in the first innings of his second test match, he didn’t have to wait long to find his groove. Cummins would take all but one wicket in the second innings of the match, finishing with career-best figures of 6-48.
He explained on the first episode of the Scribe Sports Interview Series what it felt like to hold the ball aloft in St Lucia.
“I started a lot better in the second innings…I followed a rhythm, and everything was flowing,” Cummins said.
“Taking 6-48 in my second game was honestly another breath of fresh air. I always wanted to take a five-wicket haul in a test and to do it in my second game was a very good feat for me.”
After that fateful match at Gros Islet, the fast bowler would only play 12 more test matches and a handful of One Day Internationals. Becoming a regular squad member with minimal game time forced Miguel to let go of his dream and move to county cricket.
The call wasn’t easy for the then 29-year-old but said that having a support network at Middlesex, including former West Indian coach Stuart Law helped him make the move.
“The decision I made was one of I wasn’t getting a lot of game time playing for West [Indies] and I felt a bit annoyed at certain situations I was in. For me I just wanted to be playing cricket consistently,” Cummins said.
“[My family] always told me they would back me and for me that was one of the very reasons [to sign with Middlesex], my family, [Law] was also coaching at Middlesex which made it feel like home.”
Miguel spent two seasons at Middlesex before moving to Kent for the 2021 season. The 32-year-old is now playing for Keilor in the Victorian Turf Cricket Association.
Following a disappointing campaign in Australia where the West Indies failed to make the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup and were swept in the T20 and test series against the host nation, Cummins believes that they have the steppingstones in place to turn into a great side.
“The talent is there. We keep saying that all the time. But you’ve gotta grab it and you’ve got to perform,” he said.
“Things need to be nurtured properly in terms of the younger guys and being frank they need to get it done as fast as possible.”
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