Pat’s power play
Cummins pulls plug on axed sponsor’s advertisements
PAT Cummins has denied he pressured Cricket Australia to end its $40m sponsorship with energy company Alinta but confirmed he will not be seen in their ads this summer.
At a media conference announcing his appointment as Australia’s new ODI captain, Cummins was questioned on whether he had a role in Alinta and Cricket Australia mutually deciding to end their partnership after this summer.
Cummins said he had discussed his personal views on the game’s partnership with Alinta with CA chief executive Nick Hockley but denied he played any part in the decision to part ways.
“No, not at all. Nick, the CEO, and I have a really good relationship. We talk about lots of things.
“But no, I’ve been a big supporter of all our partners over the last few years.”
The Australian captain also defended the right of players to have a say in which companies they would like to align with as individuals.
“I think it’s always been a balance,” Cummins said.
“You’ve seen certain players make decisions based on religions or maybe certain foods they eat, they won’t partner specific partners.
“But we really thank all our partners for everything they do for Cricket Australia and for grassroots supporting the game, and we know our responsibilities. We try to do our best.”
Cummins, however, said he thought cricket needed to think carefully about which companies it aligned with.
“And not just us players, every organisation has a responsibility to do what’s right for the sport but also what they think is the right thing for the organisation and a whole society,” he said.
“I think it’s a balance when you make decisions about who you are going to welcome into the cricket family.”
Cummins said he had no issue with the fact the International Cricket Council had announced a controversial partnership with energy giant Aramco without consulting players.
“It’s obviously far away from the decisions us players make. It’s an ICC decision,” he said.
“The players are fairly arm’s reach away from their decision-making. It’s fine.”
The Test captain was named Australia’s new ODI skipper on Tuesday.
David Warner, who was banned from holding a leadership position after the 2018 sandpaper scandal, was not given an opportunity to be considered in the process.
Questions are likely to be asked about the pace of CA’s move to overturn Warner’s ban, which is likely to happen this summer but didn’t come quickly enough for selectors to consider him as ODI captain.