"Not like you can poach players from other countries" - Pat Cummins suggests larger squad size for future tournaments amid injuries in 2023 World Cup
Australian Pat Cummins has suggested larger size squads for World Cup tournaments moving forward to combat the threat of injuries. The right-arm speedster believes teams should be allowed as many players as possible in case of any contingency.
The five-time champions will be without Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh for the crucial 2023 World Cup clash against England on Saturday in Ahmedabad. Maxwell has been ruled out due to a concussion, while Marsh has returned home for family reasons and there is no timeline available on his return.
During the press conference on Friday, Cummins highlighted how New Zealand have struggled with injuries and that they could be in a spot of bother had Kane Williamson also been ruled out. As quoted by ESPNCricinfo, he said:
"Yeah, to be honest. It's a two-month tournament. You wouldn't want to be in a position where, say, a team like New Zealand have had some injuries. Luckily, they've been able to hold someone like Kane [Williamson] in the squad but if they suddenly had to rule him out, I think that wouldn't be good for cricket or the World Cup. It's not like you can poach players from other countries, so I always think as many players as you need, you should be able to pick from."
The Kiwis have already suffered an injury blow as Matt Henry's hamstring injury has ruled him out of the tournament. The likes of Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham are also under the injury cloud.
"I always think that a healthy amount of rivalry is good" - Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins recently discussed the stumping incident involving Jonny Bairstow in the 2023 Ashes series and claimed that although the moment was in the past, both teams stil have plenty of desire to beat the other. The 30-year-old said:
"That was a couple of months ago. It's done. It's a new game, new tournament. But I always think that a healthy amount of rivalry is good. Especially with our playing group, we're quite a chilled, calm group. So sometimes when we get a little bit more fired up, I actually don't think it's too bad a thing. It's been an old rivalry so yeah, you're not going to lie, if they beat us, I know it's probably just that little bit sweeter (for them) than beating other teams. And the same (for us)."
Australia are currently on the 3rd spot in the 2023 ODI World Cup points table with 4 wins in 6 matches. England are currently in last place with 1 win in 6 matches.