Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley broke his silence after Pat Cummins was criticised for attending Coldplay’s concert in Sydney. Notably, Cummins was not part of the squad which registered an eight-wicket defeat and series loss against Pakistan. Cummins didn’t play in the ODI series decider on November 10 and was seen attending Coldplay’s concert in Sydney on the same day.
Cummins played a key role in the first two matches of the series, but he didn’t feature in the final game in Perth. The game also saw Josh Inglis, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood missing the game. Moreover, Mitchell Marsh and Travid Head were also absent from the squad due to paternity leave. However, the decision to rest Cummins received heavy criticism after the defeat. During the game, the ODI World Cup 2023 winning captain was in Sydney, attending Coldplay’s concert.
We have been criticised for not giving new players opportunity: Cricket Australia CEO
After Cummins received criticism from fans and former players, Cricket Australia CEO, Nick Hockley, broke his silence and defended the decision to rest Cummins. He said, “We often have been criticised in the past for not giving new players an opportunity to come in. There was a plan in place, and that plan was to really make sure that our all-format players were in absolutely peak condition for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series.”
He added, “This was obviously a massively disappointing result, but i think a really good opportunity to expose some of the talent that’s coming through to the pressures of international cricket. And on this occasion, I think they were found wanting by a very competitive and spirited Pakistan side. In terms of Test players, we want to get them through what’s effectively seven Test matches, kind of back-to-back, and then for the all-format players into the Champions Trophy. It was felt on this occasion it was in the best interest of the overall priorities for the summer that they miss out on the third ODI.”