Pat Cummins has dominated out the prospect of Australia underperforming in opposition to Scotland in a bid to oust rivals England from the Twenty20 World Cup, saying it could be in opposition to the “spirit of cricket.”
Bowling spearhead Josh Hazlewood prompted controversy this week when he stated it could be in Australia’s pursuits for reigning champions England to be out of the competitors.
Australia have already secured their place within the subsequent spherical, the Tremendous Eights, and he recommended they may ease up of their closing Group B recreation in opposition to Scotland this weekend to engineer their bitter rivals’ exit.
That state of affairs now seems much less seemingly after England crushed Oman by eight wickets on Thursday to maneuver above Scotland on internet run price with a last recreation to return in opposition to Namibia.
England coach Matt Mott — an Australian — stated he hoped Hazlewood was joking and Australia’s Check and one-day skipper Cummins assured him that the bowler was.
“If you exit and play you’re attempting your greatest each time. And when you’re not, it’s in all probability in opposition to the spirit of cricket,” Cummins informed reporters in St Lucia.
“I don’t suppose you may (go right into a recreation not attempting to win) — ever. You’re enjoying a global recreation in the course of a World Cup.
“You continue to need to attempt to have recreation and carry that on into the Tremendous Eights. I’ve by no means stepped on to the sector with out the mindset of being aggressive, like the blokes have thus far.”
Cummins stated he had spoken to Hazlewood and the feedback had been tongue-in-cheek and “obtained taken a bit out of context.”
“We’ll go on the market and attempt to play Scotland, who’ve had a extremely good match thus far, so it’s going to be robust,” he stated.
“It’s one thing you focus on as one of many quirks of the set-up, nevertheless it does it change the way in which we play? Completely not.”
