SOUTH African superstar Jacques Kallis says teenager Pat Cummins is headed for stardom and will not be a one-Test wonder in the wake of his nerveless entry to Test cricket.
Australia's youngest Test bowler at 18 years and 193 days, Cummins turned up the heat on underfire quick Mitchell Johnson with a first-innings performance, vindicating selectors brave decision to blood him at the Wanderers.
The NSW tearaway (1-38 from 15 overs) removed Hashim Amla (19) for his maiden Test scalp and bowled with the venom, control and coolness to suggest he can be the spearhead Australian cricket's craved since Glenn McGrath's retirement. Kallis, cricket's No.1-ranked allrounder, became the fourth man in history to record 12,000 Test runs on Thursday and after plundering attacks for the past 16 years, he knows a precocious bowling talent when he sees one.
So when he watched Cummins charge in, consistently sending down 140km/h thunderbolts, including a 144.6km/h ball that scorched past Amla's head, Kallis concluded the rookie was no flash in the pan. Perhaps it was because Cummins was the one bowler to keep a leash on Kallis. The 36-year-old thumped 54 from 41 balls in his side's 266, but could manage just nine runs from the 15 balls he faced from the teenager.
"For a debut game I thought he did nicely," Kallis, who leapfrogged West Indies great Brian Lara (11,953) on the all-time Test runscoring list when he reached seven, said.
"There's a lot to work with. If he stays injury free he'll have a big career ahead of him.
"Congrats to him for getting that first wicket. I think he's certainly got a bright future."
Bright enough for Cummins to be a realistic contender for the first Test of the summer against New Zealand at the Gabba on December 1.
While Ryan Harris will return if fit, Cummins did enough to turn the screws on Johnson, who was again erratic with 1-67 from 16.1 overs.
And he also impressed in the field, taking a superb catch stretching out on the run to remove dangerman A B de Villiers (64).
Cummins admits he can't believe he is wearing the baggy green as Australia's 423rd Test cricketer - eight months after his first-class debut. "The jump up here has been totally surreal and more than I could ever have imagined." he said.
