Background

Pat Cummins has been Australia's Test captain since November 2021, taking over from Tim Paine. As discussions about future leadership emerge, Cricket Australia has been preparing potential successors. Travis Head was recently named co-vice-captain alongside Steven Smith, positioning him as a potential future leader. Cummins himself has noted that Head has "all the makings of a future Test leader" and has been groomed for leadership within Australian cricket, having captained South Australia and other teams.

Steven Smith previously served as Australia's Test captain before the 2018 ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. After serving his leadership ban, Smith has returned to a leadership position as vice-captain and has occasionally led the team when Cummins was unavailable.

Resolution Criteria

This market will resolve to YES if the specified individual is officially appointed by Cricket Australia as the next permanent Test captain after Pat Cummins steps down, is removed, or retires from the position.

The market will resolve to NO if someone else is appointed as the next permanent Test captain.

For clarity:

• Temporary or stand-in captaincy appointments (e.g., if Cummins misses a Test due to injury or personal reasons) will not count for resolution.

• The appointment must be for the Test format specifically, not limited to ODI or T20I captaincy.

• The appointment must be officially announced by Cricket Australia or its authorized representatives.

Considerations

The timing of this succession is uncertain, as Cummins has not announced any plans to step down. The resolution of this market could potentially be years away, depending on Cummins' tenure as captain.