Pat Cummins hits back at wild Michael Clarke swipe amid World Cup drama
Pat Cummins says his teammates jokingly told him he was going to be dropped.
Pat Cummins has brushed off claims from Michael Clarke that he was going to be dropped. The former Australian captain said he had heard Cummins would not be selected for the Sri Lanka game and suggested Australia may have selected the wrong captain for the Cricket World Cup.
“I heard last night that Pat Cummins is not going to be selected for this game,” Clarke told Sky Sports Radio's The Big Sports Breakfast. “So in two games our two most significant players in a squad on tour are going to be left out. Do you not know your best XI before you get to a World Cup?"
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"If Pat Cummins is going to get dropped and not captain the team, then you guys have selected the wrong captain. He (Cummins) won the toss and bowled, I think he ball chased and I don’t think he was aggressive enough. I don’t think he looked to take wickets," Clarke said.
Yet after securing a two-wicket haul in Australia's win against Sri Lanka when asked if he had heard Clarke's ill-informed remarks, he said: "(I didn’t make) much (of it) really". "A couple of the boys let me know I was being dropped - so that was interesting."
Pat Cummins says batters are ready to fire
Cummins believes Australia's batters are ready to go for the game against Pakistan after a stuttering start to their World Cup campaign. The captain was encouraged by how his team went about their run chase in the last match in Lucknow on Monday.
Referring to the onus on David Warner and Mitch Marsh to start the team off the right way, he said "It's really important, especially at a venue like here (Bengaluru - which will host Australia's game with Pakistan) - smaller field, good pitch, I dare say it's going to be high-scoring.
"I think the way the guys started last game really set the tone, Mitchie and Davey up front from the first over taking the game on," he added when speaking on the pair's 24 off just 3.1 overs against the Sri Lankans.
"That's what we want from our players. They're working really hard, doing all the right things. I'm sure plenty of runs are around the corner."
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