Sydney, Sep 30 (IANS) Eighteen-year-old pace sensation Patrick Cummins is the youngest player in the ongoing Champions League T20 event in India and after a handful of first-class appearances he is in Australia’s squads for shorter versions to tour South Africa. The New South Wales (NSW) speedster says it is all happening faster than he dreamed.

Cummins, who was a school kid till last year and played the sport on weekends, has made it to the national side just over eight months after playing his first senior interstate game.

‘I was still a schoolkid last year, just playing cricket on the weekend, it all came faster than I could have ever dreamed, you do have to pinch yourself,’ Cummins was quoted as saying by the Canberra Times.

The teenager has played just two one-day and three first-class matches for NSW and is yet to take a single wicket in the shorter format. However, in the shortest format, Cummins has taken 13 wickets in eight games at an impressive average of 16.23.

Cummins hopes NSW reaches the final in the Champions League so that he flies to South Africa directly from India.

‘Hopefully fingers crossed we spend a bit more time here in India and if we get to the final, I think it is straight over there to Africa,’ Cummins, who is also the youngest player ever contracted to Cricket Australia.

Cummins came into the limelight last summer, bowling consistently close to 150km per hour.