Pat Cummins had an amazing 2023, when he became the first captain to win two ICC trophies – the World Test Championship as well as the World Cup – in the same year. He also led Australia retain the Ashes in England and the Benaud-Qadir Trophy at home.

Cummins ended the year with 5-48 and 5-49 in the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at Melbourne, becoming the second Australian captain to take two five-wicket hauls in the same match.

He followed that with 5-61 in the New Year’s Test match, at Sydney, becoming the first Australian since Merv Hughes in 1988/89 to take three consecutive five-wicket hauls on home soil.

At this point, Cummins’ career stands at 257 wickets at 22.13. In the 250-wicket club, only six bowlers have better averages. Of the six, only Glenn McGrath (21.64) is the only Australian. There is little doubt over his stature as one of the greats of the game.

On Fox Cricket, Michael Vaughan was asked whom he would pick if he had to choose between Dennis Lillee and Cummins. Vaughan responded: “I saw a bit of DK [Lillee] on screen but I think … Pat Cummins, in time – don’t think he’s ever going to surpass Sir Don [Bradman], [but] I think Cummins is going to end up being Australia’s greatest cricketer after Sir Don.”

Bradman famously retired with a Test batting average of 99.94, the highest for anyone with more than two innings, and at least 50 percent more than anyone else with 15 innings.

His legacy stretched beyond the field of cricket, to the extent that his son John had to temporarily change his surname to Bradsen to avoid unnecessary attention; the Australian Broadcasting Corporation uses 9994 as their PO Box number in every Australian state capital; there is also a rose named after him.

While Bradman’s place in Australian cricket is unlikely to be surpassed, there have been subsequent names who could compete for the second place: Richie Benaud, in his many avatars, and Shane Warne, for example.