Mumbai: The middle finger plays a very important part in generating outswing for fast bowlers. However, Australian pacer, Pat Cummins, is defying the odds with a slightly shorter middle finger. Looking at the way Cummins bowled out Joe Root in the 4th Test, one would find it difficult to believe that he misses about a centimetre off his middle finger.
The incident where he lost a part of his finger took place when he was three years old. His sister accidentally slammed the door on his finger, taking about a centimetre off the injured finger. If one takes a closer look at his finger then they’ll see that his middle finger is of the same length as his index finger.
In an interview in 2011, he said, “It doesn’t really affect me because the affected finger is about the same length as the other one (the index finger).” He also jokingly added that he still gets his sister in tears over the incident that took place in their childhood.
Cummins’ finger may also hold an advantage for him as even Brett Lee has gone on to state that his finger might even be seen as an advantage. Lee analyzed that the finger “may aid the ball coming out of the fingers with a nice seam position.”
Pat Cummins has proven to be the star bowler for Australia in this year’s Ashes series, having taken 24 wickets in four matches.
