Pat Cummins has won the hearts of cricket fans in the world as he stopped the alcohol spraying so that Usman Khawaja could be part of the Ashes victory celebration in Hobart.
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Australia completed a dominant win against England in Hobart as they won the fifth Test by 146 runs. The victory gave them a 4-0 win in the series and ensured their unbeaten streak in Pink Ball cricket remained. Had it not been for the defiant stand in Sydney, Australia could have whitewashed England 5-0 for the fourth time. The loss continued England’s poor run Down Under. In the last three series, England has lost 13 out of the 15 Tests that they have played in Australia.
When the final wicket and post-match presentation were conducted, Australia and their players lined up for the celebration. The alcohol spray was being conducted and every player was enjoying it. But, Usman Khawaja stepped away as alcohol is prohibited in the Muslim faith. Pat Cummins, the Australia captain, noticed this. He asked the team to put down the bottles and stop the spray. The bottles were kept aside and Cummins asked Khawaja to join them on stage. Khawaja then celebrated with the whole team. This gesture has won Cummins tremendous respect all over the world.
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Khawaja, who scored two hundreds in Sydney but failed in tough conditions in Hobart, did play a big role in Australia securing the Ashes. He was unlucky to miss out in the first three Tests as Travis Head excelled with the bat in Brisbane. Speaking on the gesture, Pat Cummins stated that he knew what Usman Khawaja would be feeling.
“Usman is obviously Muslim, so he doesn’t like the champagne being thrown. I just made sure he got up there and no champagne was thrown,” Cummins said. The gesture won a lot of support from social media, with former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul hailing his leadership qualities. Usman Khawaja was born in Islamabad but moved to Australia as a youngster.
Cummins hailed the efforts of the entire Australian team, praising Cameron Green and Scott Boland for their contributions. “Cam Green with bat and ball has been outstanding. Scotty Boland was fantastic. And hope the old pros continue their good work. I am super excited for overseas Test cricket. One thing in the pandemic we haven’t done is not play too much Test cricket. So looking forward to adapt. Special thanks to ECB and Cricket Australia for putting this together in these times,” Cummins said.
Australia’s next Test assignment will be against Pakistan in March. They will be touring the country after a gap of 24 years. The last time Australia toured Pakistan, they won the Test series 1-0.
