Australian pacer Pat Cummins has clarified that Australia will never deliberately underperform in order to eliminate another team from a competition. Instead, Cummins affirmed, they will always strive to give their absolute best effort in every match. Addressing Josh Hazlewood‘s recent comments, Cummins emphasized that it would be a violation of cricket’s spirit for them not to compete at the highest level each time they take the field.

Hazlewood’s controversial comments, indicating England‘s early exit from the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 would benefit Australia, sparked heated debates across the cricket community. Rumors even circulated that Australian captain Mitchell Marsh could face disciplinary action if his team deliberately manipulated the results to ensure England’s elimination.

Ahead of Australia’s final group match on Sunday, Cummins told reporters on Friday that their approach against Scotland would remain unchanged.

“I discussed the matter with Joshy, who had made a somewhat joking remark about it the other day, but I believe his comment was taken out of context. We’ll head there and simply focus on playing against Scotland, who have had an impressive tournament so far and will be a formidable opponent,” said Cummins.

“Net run rate is one of the quirky aspects of the tournament that we discuss, but it doesn’t change how we approach the game. When you step onto the field, you should always be giving your full effort. Anything less would be against the spirit of cricket,” he added.

Cummins was rested for Australia’s opening game against Oman due to his extensive travel schedule following IPL 2024.

“The early rounds of the tournament allow me to rest in some games but the Super Eights will be a different story. There are no concerns about player workload – the focus shifts to prioritizing sleep, nutrition, and other recovery needs. The team has plenty of experience with this fast-paced schedule, having played numerous IPL games that require extensive travel a between matches,” he continued.

Australia’s dominant wins over Oman, England, and Namibia have showcased their aggressive, high-powered gameplay. With an impressive net run rate of 3.580, the T20 World Cup 2021 champions have secured their spot in the Super 8 stage.