ANI
Ahmedabad
Following his side’s six-wicket win over India in the final of ICC Cricket World Cup final, Australian skipper Pat Cummins said that he fell in love with the one-day format all over again with this World Cup and described the win as a “pinnacle of international cricket”.
Another heartbreak was added to the list of Indian fans as Men in Blue succumbed to Australia, led by a masterclass from Travis Head, which helped the Aussies lift their sixth World Cup title.
In the post-match press conference, Cummins said, “That is huge (The World Cup win), I think that’s the pinnacle of international cricket, winning a one-day World Cup. Especially over here in India, in front of a crowd like this. Yeah, that is huge. Yeah, it has been a big year for everyone, but our cricket team has been here in India, the Ashes, World Test Championship and top it off with this is just huge and these are the moments that you will remember for the rest of your life.”
“Maybe because we won, but I did fall in love with ODI again this World Cup. I think the scenario where every game really matters, it does mean a bit different to just a bilateral. The World Cup’s got such rich history, I am sure it is going to be around for a long time. Yeah, there are so many wonderful games, so many wonderful stories within these last couple of months. So, I think there’s definitely a place (for ODI cricket),” he added.
Cummins admitted that he was nervous in the morning and it was an unforgettable experience seeing over 1 lakh fans dressed in India’s blue jersey.
“Yeah, I mean I always like to say I am pretty relaxed but I was a little bit nervous this morning you know just pacing around waiting for it to get started just seeing the sea of blue in the hotel getting nearer the ground and seeing the sea of blue, walking, making its way to the ground, all the cars parked with their selfie cameras out, you kind of knew you were walking into something pretty special. And then to walk out for the toss and just see 130,000 blue Indian shirts, it is an experience you will never forget. Awesome day and the good thing was they were not too noisy for most of it,” said Cummins.
Cummins said that the pitch played well and it was quite slow with no bounce.
“The pitch played pretty well actually, it was quite slow and basically no bounce, but I do not think the bounce was anything different to anywhere else in the tournament. It probably did not spin as much as I thought it would. Yesterday it looked really dry, but it was quite firm today. Yeah, the wicket was fine really. And then the toss, we were kind of umming and ahhing right up until the toss really - but I thought you know half a chance of the wicket got better tonight and you know in a World Cup game you can make a mistake bowling and it does not really matter too much, but if you make a mistake batting and you are under pressure it can be fatal so I just felt like it was the right time to go out and have a bowl,” he added.
Cummins lauded Travis Head for his match-winning century said that credit must go to selectors and coaches for persisting with him despite the injury.
“Travis Head was phenomenal. I think I said it on stage, I mean I think a lot of credit should also go to Andrew McDonald and George Bailey, the selectors, to take a punt. He had a broken finger, a broken hand for the half of the tournament, but to keep him in the squad was a huge risk.
“And the medical team were fantastic, obviously, to get him into a place where he could perform. So that was a big risk. I think we could have been made to look really silly if that did not pay off, but you got to take those risks to win a tournament. And Trav, the player we have seen in Test cricket, he just, he epitomized everything I want out of a cricket team. He takes the game on, he plays with a smile, he just puts the pressure right back onto the opposition and he’s just great fun to be around. So, I couldn’t be happier for Trav,” said Cummins.
The skipper added that he could not be prouder of his team’s performance over the last two years, which has seen them win the T20 World Cup title and World Test Championship too.
