Zampa
Prior to the match against Sri Lanka, Pat Cummins was under a lot of strain. Even though he or the Australian players might not openly confirm it, he was definitely there. Australia had lost back-to-back games against South Africa and India, giving them one of their worst World Cup starts ever. Simply put, the five-time champs were absent from those two pivotal games. Australia’s first two matches in the tournament ended without them surpassing the 200-run threshold, a rarity in a competition when sixes and hundreds have been the norm for all elite sides. Against India, their spinners did manage to take a few early wickets, but they then lacked spark once a partnership had formed. Their fielding was awful, with many middle and drop catches.
Despite everything, Cummins’ leadership, let alone his spot in the starting lineup, was never in question. Two poor performances can’t possibly be sufficient justification for a team like Australia to even consider such a rash measure. Therefore, it came as a shock, to put it mildly, when former Australia captain Michael Clarke claimed to have heard that Cummins might be fired before the Sri Lanka game.
Pat Cummins won’t be playing in this game, according to what I heard last night,” Clarke said to Australia’s Sky Sports Radio’s Big Sports Breakfast. “If Pat Cummins is going to get dropped and not captain the team, then you guys have selected the wrong captain.”
In actuality, nothing of the sort took place. In addition to winning the toss against Sri Lanka on Monday, Cummins was a key player in Australia’s victory over Sri Lanka by five wickets in Lucknow, which helped Australia start the World Cup 2023 off on the right foot.
Also read: India’s Dominance Over Pakistan Worries Gautam Gambhir: A Blow To Subcontinental Cricket
Player of the Match Adam Zampa, who took 4/47 to destroy Sri Lanka’s middle order, was questioned about rumors that Cummins’ position was in jeopardy. Zampa responded forcefully to Clarke’s assertion. The leg-spinner dismissed it by asserting that the team is led by their captain and that they are unconcerned with what is said or written outside.
