Shock stat: Healy takes aim as Cummins' lean patch exposed

Australian captain Pat Cummins isn't anywhere near his best form.

The star right-armer hasn't taken a wicket in 302 balls. That's 50.2 overs without claiming a scalp.

Given that the 33-year-old has taken 326 Test poles at an average of 22.43 and a ridiculous strike rate of 46.35, this dry spell is a completely foreign experience.

Day 1 in the third Test in Cape Town wasn't his day either, as he made the shock decision to bowl first on a good batting pitch, with some late Mitchell Starc heroics the only thing saving Australia's day.

Cummins finished the day with 0/73 from 18 overs. His last wicket came during the first Test in Durban.

Former Aussie keeper Ian Healy thinks that Cummins would have breathed a huge sigh of relief after the left-hander went to work late, pointing out some areas of improvement for the Test captain in his own game.

"Who has breathed the biggest sigh of relief after Day 1? They got South Africa all out for 329 thanks to Starc ripping pegs out with 4/0 with the second new ball," Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.

"Is it the selectors or Pat Cummins? It's unlike him (Cummins) to bowl 50 overs without impact.

"He's been a touch short on a slow, flat pitch like they're playing on in Cape Town. He needs to be up. He's being very conservative with his bowling.

"To me, that's what it looks like anyway."

With Healy able to pick out some areas of concerns for Cummins from the couch, he asked what Australia's bowling coaches were doing to remedy the issue in South Africa.

That led the wicketkeeping great to question if the Aussies really need such a full dressing room which is now full of the playing squad and a raft of coaches and support staff.

"What's our bowling coach doing? We don't need dressing rooms clogged up by coaches," Healy said.

"The bowling coach can do that from home. Go in, set the tour up, and then go home.

"I think Cummins was jumping into the wicket to where the umpire is. He has a little kink in his run-up, so that can be seen from abroad.

"Don't clog up the dressing room with coaches and other staff.

"I see Matty Wade is there... it looked like Beau Casson was there as well as Andrew McDonald.

"They've got a fielding coach. There are physios and doctors. It's too much for a dressing room."

Day 2 begins in Cape Town at 7:30pm AEDT as the Aussies begin their first innings.

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