Australian batting has not clicked as a unit so far in the World Cup, and captain Pat Cummins hoped that his batters will fire on all cylinders against Pakistan in Bengaluru on Friday. Additionally, in a remarkable moment, he hit back at an Indian journalist, who asked him about Pakistan cricketers supporting Palestine and his stance on the same.
Pakistan keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan started the trend as he dedicated his match-winning against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad to the people of Gaza, signalling his support to Palestine in the ongoing conflict against Israel. The likes of Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, and Iftikhar Ahmed followed suit and posted a picture of Palestine flag on their official handle on X.
When asked a question by an Indian journalist about the side he chose, Cummins said:
"I love seeing sports people, seeing their personalities brought out as well. So, yeah, no hugely strong thoughts either way."
Pat Cummins opens up on dew factor in Bengaluru:
Speaking on the dew factor in Bengaluru, Cummins believes it's a tough balancing act and believes there are pitfalls to both batting and bowling first. He stated:
"Yeah, it's a factor. I think I've said it previously in T20s - dew might play a part for 50% of the match plus in here, day and night, I only played part for the last 20 overs, say, in ODI. So, you got to balance whether, say, bowling second, it might be tough at the back end. But also, you've got lights on, ball might zip around a bit more at night before that. So, it's a balancing act. I don't think there's a right or wrong."
Australia have won 6 out of 10 World Cup matches against Pakistan.
