"Taken a little bit out of context" - Pat Cummins clarifies Josh Hazlewood's comments about England's fate in T20 World Cup 2024
Australia's speedster Pat Cummins has asserted that they would never intentionally underperform to knock another team out of a competition, and will instead give their best in every match. With regards to Josh Hazlewood's recent statement, Cummins said it would be against the spirit of cricket if they didn't give their best every time.
Hazlewood saying England's early elimination from T20 World Cup 2024 would be in Australia's best interests sparked plenty of discussions in the cricket world. There were even reports that captain Mitchell Marsh could face a ban if Australia deliberately tried to tweak the result in favor of England's elimination.
Speaking to reporters on Friday ahead of Australia's final group game, Cummins said nothing will change the way they play against Scotland on Sunday. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said:
"I was speaking to Joshy, who had a bit of a joke about it the other day, and think it got taken a little bit out of context. We'll go there and just try and play Scotland who have had a really good tournament so far and will be tough," Cummins said.
"It's [net run rate] something you kind of discuss as one of the quirks of the set-up but in terms of does it change the way we play, absolutely not. I think when you go out and play, you are trying your best every time and if you are not, that's probably against the spirit of cricket," he added.
Australia's victories over Oman, England, and Namibia have been impressive, headlining their attacking gameplay. Their net run rate stands at 3.580 and they have qualified for the Super 8.
"There's no workload issues at all" - Pat Cummins
Cummins was rested for Australia's opening game against Oman after his lengthy travel schedule following IPL 2024. However, he doesn't expect any of it in the Super 8 fixtures. The 31-year-old said they are used to playing continuously amid the travel.
"It's a bit of a luxury now in this first section of the tournament but once we get to the Super Eights, don't think there'll be any resting. There's no workload issues at all. You start prioritising sleep, refuelling and those kind of things but in terms of getting up for the game, it's fine. We've done it loads of times, loads of IPL games are kind of play, fly to the other side of the country and play again," he said (via ESPN Cricinfo).
Meanwhile, England's eight-wicket win over Oman has put them back in contention for a Super 8 spot.