Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia, believes that after experiencing burnout early in his career, he had to “find a balance.”
In order to relax before this summer’s World Test Championship match against India and the Ashes in England, Cummins, 30, missed the Indian Premier League. Then, in the autumn, the seamer will represent Australia in the World Cup in India.
Cricket is played throughout the year, according to Cummins, who made his Test debut at the age of 18 but missed his second match for six years due to back problems.
“There’s always a cricket match going on someplace, and for almost two years, I played non-stop. About four or five years ago, I had just about fully recovered from my injuries.”, said Cummins. “I just remember thinking, ‘Jeez, I’m 25 here, I want to do this till I’m 35.’ I was just tired, like burnt out. I need to figure out how to balance all of these things.”
Ben Stokes, the captain of the England Test team, suddenly announced his retirement from the one-day international competition last summer. He claimed the announcement should serve as a “wake-up call” for cricket’s regulatory bodies.
Jofra Archer, an English fast bowler, also came home early from the Indian Premier League due to ongoing injuries, only five weeks before the first Ashes Test begins at Edgbaston on June 16.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to spend plenty of time with mum and us kids and dad and sharing those memories,” Cummins continued, “It really makes you think about the sort of person and father you want to be.”
Cummins has also frequently advocated for issues related to the environment and climate change. He founded the Cricket for Climate campaign, which aims to get local clubs to install solar panels and reach net-zero emissions over the next ten years. Cricket Australia ended their sponsorship agreement with Alinta Energy, the nation’s seventh-largest climate polluter, in October of last year.
“There is a lot of room for reform,” according to Cummins. “Cricket is extremely climatically reliant; if it’s too hot, it’s intolerable, and if there’s a light drizzle, you can’t play. More importantly, I consider my child, his education, and his peers. I try to do everything I can to teach about the topic and improve his future.”
