SMILING CARTEL READY TO FIRE
AUSTRALIA’S fast bowling cartel have dismissed ridicule from Michael Vaughan by declaring they can “smile and dream” and still terrorise batsmen this summer.
The Players’ Pact handed down in partnership with the cultural review last week presented the four pillars of “Compete with us, Smile with us, Fight on with us, Dream with us” as the foundation for how they will now approach their cricket. However, the call to arms was mocked by a number of former greats.
Former England captain Vaughan attacked the public call to arms as “cringeworthy … PR nonsense” ahead of Australia’s first one-day international against South Africa at Perth Stadium today.
Ex-Test captain Ian Chappell joined him by describing the Pact as “rubbish”.
Vice-captain Josh Hazlewood and fellow quick Pat Cummins were a key part of the panel which rubberstamped the code and both admit the fast bowling attack have a tightrope to walk as the face of Australia’s bid to win back the respect of fans.
Cummins suggests the specific wording wasn’t written by the players, but he and Hazlewood are refusing to back down from the principles and messages they have endorsed as much for themselves as kids playing in the park.
Australian teams have been defined by the aggression and mongrel of Lillee, Thomson, Johnson and Hughes and Cummins insists that rawblooded competitiveness won’t be lost by the smilers and dreamers.
“I think there’s still a lot of room to be aggressive and really get in the contest and be super competitive,” he said.
“It’s probably just the overthe-top trying to group up on someone and try to bully someone that some people thought we might have done in the past.”