Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia for both tests and one-day internationals, has refuted reports that Cricket Australia lost a 40 million Australian dollar sponsorship deal with Alinta Energy because of his stance on environmental problems.
Cummins is once again courting an old controversy that began in October of last year when he refused to participate in any advertising for the sponsor. Australia is about to embark on a tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar series, and Cummins is doing so a week before the tour begins.
Then, it was reported in the SMH that the pace bowler had a meeting with the chief executive of Cricket Australia (CA), Nick Hockley, to express “concerns over the national side’s arrangement with Alinta Energy.”
As a result of this “shift in its brand strategy,” Alinta Energy came to the conclusion that it will not continue its sponsorship after June 2023, as stated in a statement issued by CA in October 2022.
On Tuesday, Cummins suggested that the fact that he serves as captain makes him open to the possibility of becoming involved in controversial situations.
In an interview with News Corp., Cummins explained that “the nature of the position I am in, you get dragged into many things.”
“It was one of those experiences that you have to learn to live with — strangers having ideas about you that you don’t know. People in my generation and the surrounding community who are passionate about a variety of topics.
“They are open-minded to everything; some people can’t leave those ideals at the door,” continued Cummins, who will be arriving in India the following week for the four-Test series that will begin on February 9 at Nagpur. The series will be played across four cities in India.
Cummins had previously stated, back in October of the previous year, that there was no harm in expressing one’s thoughts because it is necessary to strike a balance while making judgements.
“There has never not been a sense of equilibrium. We have seen certain gamers make decisions where they won’t partner with specific partners based on faiths, or certain cuisines that they eat,” Cummins had added.
“Every organisation has a responsibility to do what is right for the sport, as well as what they believe is right for the organisation, and I hope, for society as it progresses in the future.
When asked about the process of selecting new members for the cricket community, he explained that it requires “a delicate balancing act.”
