Australia’s Test cricket captain Pat Cummins has reiterated his position on country’s Test cricket being his primary focus, even as he emphasized the need to improve on his IPL sunit kach. The cricketer, who used to play for the side before arriving in Australia, was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise for a whopping Rs 20.50 crore translating to the second most expensive player in IPL auction history.
In anticipation of the cricketing calendar mid 2025, a scenario where all teams will have to participate in bidding for new players in the league is likely to occur, as all teams are advised that a maximum of six players (not more than five players who have played international cricket including Indians and foreigners and not more than two players who have not played international cricket) out of the available ones must be retained by each team in the process either through retention or exercise of the Right to Match (RTM) clause.
Looking ahead to next month though, there is the important five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy and therefore Cummins is concentrating on the national side. Nonetheless, the fast bowler understands the new rulings concerning the addition of overseas players to the IPL which such players become “ineligible to register in the following year’s player auction” if they do not register for the player auction within that year. Moreover, there is also a two seasons prohibition rule in place regarding a player if that player precedes the season for which he has been auctioned off occupies himself with unavailability.
“I’ll figure out in the next little bit of time what this season entails. The rules have changed somewhat, but I don’t know if it would have changed anything for me, I have never withdrawn after the auction. But there is that to add again into the equation about the IPL,” Cummins stated in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Test cricket is the absolute No.1 in terms of priorities and then there are the world cups and I guess you use them as your tent poles and figure out what else makes sense around that.”
“With no sign of the calendar easing in pace and with time not on my side, these have always been concerns and will even more so in the future. Nevertheless, playing cricket for Australia, most especially the Test matches is the number one job and the goal,” he further added.
Cummins anticipates that the forthcoming home series against India will be hard-fought yet again after the visitors have triumphed over Australia in the last two series.
“I have played a couple of home series against India and there is always an aspect of attrition in them. The last one came down to the final session of play at the Gabba on the last day of the last Test match,” he stated.
“That is a positive aspect of it; it is a long series, and it is likely to be drawn out until the last game, so you have to take care of your resources ” added the captain of Australia.
