Cummins admits there were doubts over Pakistan's Test mettle before summer

Australia captain Pat Cummins expressed occasional concerns about the future of the five-day cricket format, but he remains optimistic, asserting that the sport's decline isn't as severe as some portray it.

While talking to media on Tuesday ahead of Sydney Test, Cummins shared his hope for the game to grow even stronger in the next decade or two, emphasizing positive recent experiences with well-supported Test matches against Pakistan.
 
"My hopes are that it's even stronger than it is now, in ten years' time or 20 years' time. I think in some regards leading to this Test summer, some of the question marks were against Pakistan and West Indies. We've had two fantastic Test matches against Pakistan, really well supported, big crowds," Cummins told reporters as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"So I don't think it's in as dramatic a decline as sometimes it gets spoken about. But I think there is an issue just with the amount of other cricket out there, obviously, competition for talent is higher than it's ever been," he added.

Meanwhile, former Australian captain Steve Waugh has criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) and major cricket boards, including the BCCI, for neglecting Test cricket. This comes as South Africa prioritizes its T20 league over Test cricket, resulting in a weakened squad for the New Zealand tour.

Waugh also highlighted the trend of teams like Pakistan and the West Indies not sending full-strength squads for Test series, indicating a potential ongoing issue.

"It's pretty obvious what the problem is. The West Indies aren't sending their full-strength side (to Australia this summer). They haven't picked a full-strength Test team for a couple of years now.

"Someone like Nicholas Pooran is really a Test batsman who doesn't play Test cricket. Jason Holder, probably their best player, is not playing now. Even Pakistan didn't send a full side (to Australia)," Waugh said.