Pat Cummins dismissed any notion that Australia might intentionally underperform against Scotland to eliminate rivals England from the Twenty20 World Cup, emphasizing that it would violate the "spirit of cricket."
This week, bowler Josh Hazlewood stirred controversy by suggesting that Australia's interests would be served by ensuring England's exit from the competition. With Australia already through to the Super Eights, Hazlewood implied they might take it easy in their final Group B match against Scotland to facilitate this outcome.
However, England's commanding eight-wicket victory over Oman on Thursday has made this scenario less probable, as it boosted England's net run rate and positioned them ahead of Scotland, with a final game against Namibia remaining. England's coach, Matt Mott, expressed his hope that Hazlewood's comments were in jest, a sentiment echoed by Australia's captain, Cummins.
Cummins clarified that when players take the field, they always aim to perform their best, aligning with the spirit of cricket. He stressed that every international game, especially in a World Cup, requires a competitive mindset. Cummins also mentioned he had spoken to Hazlewood, confirming that his remarks were made in a light-hearted manner and misinterpreted. He assured that Australia would play earnestly against Scotland, recognizing their strong performance in the tournament so far.
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