Pat Cummins says Cricket World Cup triumph is the pinnacle of Australia’s stellar year

AHMEDABAD, India – Australia skipper Pat Cummins said their Cricket World Cup final win over India on Nov 19 – that earned his nation a record-extending sixth title in the 50-over format – marked the pinnacle of a spectacular 2023 season for the team.

Under Cummins, Australia retained the Ashes against arch-rivals England, won the World Test Championship final against India before beating Rohit Sharma’s side by six wickets in Ahmedabad to lift one-day cricket’s ultimate prize.

“That’s huge, 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,” he said, as the Australians silenced over 90,000 fans for much of the game.

“It’s been a big year for everyone... Ashes, World Test Championship and top it off with this is just huge... these are the moments that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.

“You only get a shot at it every four years. Even if you have a 10-year career, you might only get two chances at it.

“And, it’s just the whole cricket world stops with this World Cup. So it doesn’t get any better.”

Cummins has grown in stature as a captain during the course of the World Cup, which Australia began with two straight losses.

Mitchell Starc heaped praise on his pace-bowling colleague for masterminding wins in the next nine games.

“Pat has been phenomenal all tournament with his decision-making,” he said. “That’s capped off an unbelievable eight weeks for his team. I have no words.

“Between Pat and all our coaches, it’s been an incredible winter. I don’t think you can write a script to top the winter we’ve had. To win a World Cup in India, it’s been a fantastic eight weeks.

“It’s been tough but gee whiz, it has been successful and enjoyable.”

Cummins said Australia’s triumph had made him fall in love with 50-over cricket again, even as questions about the future of the format linger.

“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’m sure it’s going to be around for a long time,” the 30-year-old added.

“There’s so many wonderful games, so many wonderful stories within this last couple of months. I think there’s definitely a place.”

Meanwhile, India coach Rahul Dravid described captain Rohit Sharma as an exceptional leader despite the final defeat that ended his team’s 10-match winning streak in the World Cup.

Batting more aggressively than ever before, Sharma played a crucial role during the event. He gave his team explosive starts in the powerplay overs to help them arrive in Ahmedabad for the final as firm favourites on the back of a stellar run.

“His batting was fantastic, the way he set the tone for us. We knew we wanted to play a certain way and we wanted to play a positive attacking brand of cricket,” Dravid said. “And he was very committed to doing that.

“He wanted to lead by example. I thought right through the tournament, he was quite superb in doing that. And yeah, I just can’t speak more highly of him as a person and as a leader.”

India were reduced to 81-3 after Sharma’s 31-ball 47. Dravid said the team fell 30-40 short of a competitive total as Australia chased down their target with seven overs to spare, thanks to Travis Head’s 137.

“I thought they bowled well through that period,” he said. “It felt like the ball was stopping in the afternoon a little bit more than it did in the evening.

“And not that there was a lot of dew, to be honest, but it just felt like the ball came on to the bat a lot better in the evening. There was that period where the ball was stopping.

“We weren’t able to get boundaries. We were rotating the strike, but we weren’t able to hit those boundaries.” REUTERS, AFP