Cummins racing to 100 Test wickets

If Pat Cummins takes six wickets in the first Test of the Ashes, he will be the equal fourth-fastest Australian to reach the 100-Test wicket milestone.

cricket

Pat Cummins is on track to take 100 wickets in just 21 Tests for Australia. (AAP)

Pat Cummins is poised to reach 100 Test wickets quicker than any other Australian fast bowler since the 19th century.

The 25-year-old will head into the first Ashes Test in August on 94 wickets from 20 matches after a man-of-the-series performance against Sri Lanka.

If he takes six scalps at Edgbaston, Cummins will be the fastest to reach the 100-wicket milestone by an Australian paceman since Charlie Turner in 1896.

The only Australians to reach the mark in 21 Tests or less are Turner and spinners Stuart MacGill, Clarrie Grimmett and Bill O'Reilly.

MacGill was the last player to do it in 2003, bringing it up in his 21st Test.

Cummins ripped through Sri Lanka during the two-Test series, capturing 14 wickets at a stunning average of 7.78.

He was the standout Australian player of the summer, finishing with 28 wickets after an impressive finish to the 2-1 series loss against India.

It has prompted some experts to ponder if he is the dominant fast bowler in the world.

Captain Tim Paine certainly thinks he is up there with England's James Anderson, South Africa's Kagiso Rabada and India's Jasprit Bumrah.

"I suppose the difference with Pat and those guys is he doesn't take the new ball," Paine told reporters.

"He has the ability to get it done in all conditions whether it's moving around or not.

"I felt as the summer went on, he just got better and better."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said Cummins could run riot during the Ashes.

"Cummins is a superstar and will win an Ashes on his own one day," Vaughan tweeted.


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Source: AAP


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