“It’s the trophy I haven’t won before… this is the one trophy a lot of our group haven’t ticked off.” – Pat Cummins on the eve of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Australia
Coming into the 2024-25 summer of cricket, Australia stood as Australia stands as the undisputed titan of Test cricket but with one trophy that they were yet to tick off: the elusive Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India.
Chris Mcleod’s Pat Cummins: Mission Accomplished is the electrifying account that captures the golden era of Australian cricket under the leadership of Pat Cummins as they finally claim the coveted trophy in an emphatic 3-1 game for the first time in a decade.
This book is a vivid chronicle of Pat Cummins’ leadership as the Australians dominated, redeemed and powered against all odds to win the coveted trophies of the game.
Chris Mcleod is a former news editor and newspaper executive in Victoria and a reporter in both general and sport coverage in NSW. He regarded himself as no better than a B-grade cricketer though remained enthusiastic about the game. He has written, researched, contributed and co-authored for various books and bookazines including Ron Reed’s Captain Pat - Commeth the Hour, Cummins the Man; Pat Cummins - Courage, Controversy, Conviction; Angeball - Insights and Inspiration; Barty - Arise, Queen of Oz; Kyrgios - The Smash Hits; Buddy - The Last Centurion; Fagan’s Way and Zelensky - The Frontline President.
* Pat Cummins: Mission Accomplished chronicles the Australian cricket team’s historic sweep of the game’s biggest awards under Pat Cummins’ leadership, including the Ashes, the ODI World Cup, the World Test Championship and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
* Readers are immediately taken inside the ‘bucket list-filled moment’ when Pat Cummins took hold of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on 5 January 2025, allowing Australia to finally hold every major Test series trophy. It was, according to Cummins, “A wonderful summer that I won’t forget for a while.”
* Author Chris Mcleod explores Pat Cummins’ rise to greatness and looks to challenges that lie ahead for the Australian cricket team.
* The book is situated within the global context of the sport; from the pressures of long-form cricket and the rise of short-term, high-money tournaments.
* Written by seasoned sports writer and editor Chris Mcleod.
Publicity:
* National coverage in newspapers and publications including The Guardian and The Australian; radio interviews including 2GB and 3AW.
* Released as Australia prepares to face England at home in the 2025-2026 Ashes, the book will also be featured on podcasts and in cricket publications with promotions planned throughout the Ashes series.
