We’ve lastly found one thing Pat Cummins can’t do.
The Australian Take a look at captain and his counterpart Meg Lanning launched the TV protection of the Australian Cricket Awards on Monday evening, however every part didn’t fairly go to plan.
Cummins and Lanning had been recapping the cricketing yr that was and having a lightweight hearted back-and-forth change, earlier than handing over internet hosting duties to Mel McLaughlin and Jason Richardson.
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The one downside was the 2 captains had been studying off an autocue, one thing they had been clearly not very assured with.
Cummins stumbled over his strains a couple of occasions and shamelessly broke the fourth wall, confessing that he and Lanning had been studying pre-written ready scripts.
After Lanning complimented him on the boys’s group’s profitable yr, Cummins replied: “And talking of achievements, you guys received one other World Cup and claimed Australia’s first ever gold medal on the Commonwealth Video games in cricket.”
“We wrote these scripts ourselves,” he mentioned, breaking into laughter.
Lanning continued: “Speaking of statues, do you suppose we’ll ever see Scotty Boland’s statue on the MCG?
Cummins: “I hope so. I’d vote for that. I do know all of the MCG crowd needs to see that. Sorry Uzzie, there’s one folks’s champ.”
Nevertheless it received much more cringe-worthy when Lanning missed her subsequent cue and the pair awkwardly stared into lifeless silence for 10 seconds, glancing at one another with confused seems to be whereas the viewers in Sydney burst into laughter.
Lanning lastly broke the awkward silence: “Is it my flip? It’s really my flip to talk.
“Simply actually good luck to everybody tonight, hope it’s an incredible night and hope you have got enjoyable.
Cummins added: “Far an excessive amount of of us. Let’s get the evening began. Thanks.”
Viewers joked agonising second was proof that they had discovered one thing Cummins isn’t an absolute professional at — reside TV and studying an autocue.
AAP’s Scott Bailey tweeted: “Is it attainable that after 30 years, the world has found one thing Pat Cummins can’t do?
“Learn off an autocue. (Don’t blame him, it’s bloody exhausting).”
Sports activities author and broadcaster Brett McKay joked: “Haha, as MCs they each make bloody good Australian captains…”
The current second season of the ‘The Take a look at’ documentary additionally revealed Cummins additionally struggles enjoying the online game Name of Responsibility, so perhaps he’s human in any case.
As for the cricket awards themselves, Steve Smith received a record-equalling fourth Allan Border Medal as Australia’s greatest participant throughout all codecs final yr, whereas Beth Mooney took out the Belinda Clark Medal.
Smith joins legends Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke as the one males to win the award 4 occasions, with Smith additionally claiming males’s cricket’s highest honour in 2015, 2018 and 2021.
The previous Take a look at skipper polled 171 votes, ending in entrance of Travis Head (144) and David Warner (141), who each loved terrific years with the bat.
It’s the most recent in an extended line of achievements for Smith, who not too long ago moved previous Sir Donald Bradman along with his thirtieth Take a look at century and now solely trails Ponting and Steve Waugh when it comes to Australian centurions.
Smith scored 1547 runs in 32 matches throughout all three codecs, headlined by a surprising 200 not out towards the West Indies within the first Take a look at innings of the house summer season in Perth.
Mooney had an equally gorgeous season, claiming her second Belinda Clark Medal.
It was a bumper yr for Mooney and the Australian ladies’s cricket group as they clinched the Ashes in January, received the 50-over World Cup and claimed the gold medal on the Commonwealth Video games.
Mooney completed on 129 votes forward of Meg Lanning (110 votes) and Tahlia McGrath (95) in considered one of her most dominant years on the sphere.
Usman Khawaja was the opposite large winner of the evening, taking out the Group Champion award and the inaugural Shane Warne Males’s Take a look at Participant of the 12 months gong.
— With NCA NewsWire
