Pat Cummins cops backlash as legends rip cricket captain over photo with wife at concert
As Australia lost the ODI series to Pakistan, Cummins was at a Coldplay concert with his wife.
Pat Cummins has come under fire from league legends and prominent media figures Mat Rogers and Scott Sattler after a photo emerged of him and his wife at a Coldplay concert on the same night he missed Australia's clash with Pakistan in the third ODI. On Monday, former Australian captain Michael Clarke hammered Cricket Australia and the national selectors for disrespecting Pakistan with their team selection for the ODI series decider.
After winning the first game at the MCG, the Aussies lost the second and third games by nine wickets and eight wickets at the Adelaide Oval and Optus Stadium respectively. Despite needing a win to take out the series, Test players such as Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Marnus Labuschagne were all left out of the series decider to rest up for the Tests against India that begin in Perth on November 22.
However, the move didn't sit well with many in the cricket world, especially after Australia blew a 1-0 lead to lose the series 2-1 to Pakistan. And the furore has only increased after the wife of Test and ODI captain Cummins posted a happy snap at a Coldplay concert in Sydney on the same night as the game.
Discussing the photo on SEN radio on Monday afternoon, Sattler and Rogers felt it was a poor look to be posting it on social media. "It was a decider, the one that really matters, and our captain went to a Coldplay concert," Rogers said. "If you're going to do it, just keep a low profile."
Sattler added: "Why put the photo on social media? Don't do that. I'm not cool with that." The general feeling is Cummins has the right to a private life, but once you start posting photos on social media you open yourself up to criticism, especially when you've made yourself unavailable to represent your country.
Michael Clarke questions why Test players needed to rest
The defeat marked the first home series Australia had lost to the tourists in 22 years and former captain Clarke says Aussie fans have every right to feel dudded. "I’m just a bit confused, so 11 days between now and the first Test, why can’t the Aussie boys who are part of this Test series play in the one-dayer," Clarke said on his Big Sports Breakfast radio show.
“They are going to go to training and get flogged. If Australia had won the first two games, then you can understand why they rest their big fish, but it was series on the line.
"You can’t expect the fans to want and come and watch one-day cricket. We are bagging one-day cricket, no one is turning up, hasn’t got the interest, I wonder why. I feel like we obviously don’t care about losing that series. If you’re not going to care, we’re not going to care. I think we have it wrong. I understand resting for Test cricket, I love that, but it's a one-day game. They are going to bowl more than that at training."
Pat Cummins attends Coldplay concert instead of playing ODI
Just 12 months ago, a strong Australian ODI outfit thrashed Bangladesh in the last of their World Cup group games in India, before toppling South Africa and India to take out the trophy. Cummins was the centre of it all and a year on his absence was glaring for all to see.
As Pakistan took out the series by a resounding eight-wicket margin, Cummins was living it up at a Coldplay concert with his wife. And Josh Inglis, who replaced him as captain, but will now be part of the T20 squad despite also being named in the 13-man Test squad, said it wasn't down to his or anyone's absence, the team simply weren't good enough.
“They’ve got four very good quick bowlers, and I thought they put pressure on our batters throughout and made it really tough,” Inglis said. “I guess everyone’s got to look individually and find ways to get better and keep improving.”
Tim Paine frustrated by commentary around ODI loss
Former Test captain Tim Paine also called for fans and pundits to calm down about Australia’s ODI series defeat to Pakistan as he backed the decision for selectors to blood some youth. "People were saying, ‘Oh, I can't believe how bad the Australian cricket team are’, these are cricket commentators and world-class cricket commentators saying, ‘I can't believe what I'm watching, this the World Cup holders’," Paine told SEN.
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"No, it's not. The World Cup holders are sitting on the couch getting ready for a Test series. Six or seven guys were in that team. Let's just pump the brakes on the, ‘I can't believe we're seeing this performance from the world champions’.
"We're blooding some youth to give them experience at the international level whilst the big boys get ready for two hugely important series – one in Test cricket and one in white-ball. Relax. It’s okay."
with newswire
