- Test skipper came under fire from fans and former players
- Was attacked by the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Shane Warne
Australian Test cricket captain Pat Cummins has revealed the shock support he received from a prominent leader during one of the toughest periods of his career to date.
Cummins was forced to take the slings and arrows of cricket fans and former players in 2022 when coach Justin Langer and the Test side parted ways.
Langer has served in this role since May 2018 and led the team to several key victories, including victory in the 2021-2022 Ashes series.
However, he came under fire following player unrest and dissatisfaction with his coaching style.
The former Test opener subsequently walked away from the squad after he was offered – and rejected – a six-month contract with no chance of extension.
As it was claimed that player unrest caused Langer to be forced out, Cummins bore the brunt of the criticism.
Former Australian Test coach Justin Langer (pictured with Pat Cummins) turned down a six-month contract extension in 2022 after having to reapply for his job
Cummins (pictured with wife Becky and their son Albie) came under fire after reports that players were unhappy with Langer’s intense coaching style
Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson branded Cummins ‘cowardly’ in his newspaper column, while Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist also criticized the way their old teammate was forced out of the Test team.
“When Justin’s contract wasn’t renewed, I found myself in the line of fire,” Cummins writes in his new book Tested.
‘Throughout the process I felt a real responsibility to respect the process and also to be open, transparent and honest, but always through the right channels.
“I would never get involved in the public gunfight.”
Former Prime Minister Julia Gillard features in Cummins’ new book, with an entire chapter devoted to her interviews
Cummins made the stunning revelation that he had received support from former Prime Minister Julia Gillard during that hostile period of his career.
He has devoted a chapter in his book to the former prime minister and interviews Gillard about how she dealt with a barrage of personal attacks during her time in politics.
“As with Julia, much of the conversation was taken to a low level – which had nothing to do with what was right or wrong for the team – and was distracted by ridiculous commentary and name-calling,” Cummins wrote.
‘Things have snowballed in the media, but what I find funny is that when the big things in the media end up being wrong, you become desensitized to the exaggeration.
“I got through it by remembering that my job is to look after Australian cricket, not the ex-players.”
Cummins defended his Australian teammates against the continued attacks, with Langer calling them “cowards” before later saying his comments were not about them
Cummins has come under fire several times during his career for everything from the Langer saga to his stance on climate change and the Australian team taking a knee in support of Black Lives Matter.
“I think in this position you’re always going to upset people, whether you do something or not do something,” he said in 2022.
‘That’s fine. I know what I signed up for, but I also think we are cricketers. You can’t leave your values at the door. People stand for different things.’
The Australian skipper also praised the Test squad for the way they handled the separation from Langer, who hit out at unnamed ‘cowards’ on the BackChat Podcast, who he claimed complained about his intense coaching style.
He later clarified in a Channel 7 interview that he did not mean the players.
“There are no cowards in the Australian cricket team, ever,” Cummins said at the time.
‘I thank Justin for clarifying his comments afterwards.
“He thought about it and clarified it, so I thank him for that.
“But we’re really proud of the last 12 months, how we’ve led the way, the way we’ve played, the way we’ve conducted ourselves.
‘Players can certainly hold their heads high.’
