Captain Pat
Cummins hailed Australia’s World Cup title as a legacy-defining triumph after a grueling spell overseas.
Australia have been largely away from home since February this year and have had fiercely contested Test series in India and England. They beat India at The Oval to win their first World Test Championship before retaining the Ashes in a tempestuous series.
With a core of their Test players in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Australia were in danger of running out of gas and initially struggled with losses to India and South Africa. But they steadily improved and went on a roll, leading to an unforgettable six-wicket victory over favorites India in the final.
Some of Australia’s title-winning players returned home on Wednesday, their elation masking the fatigue of an arduous campaign.
“Every half hour or so you remember that you’ve just won a World Cup and you get excited again. We’re still excited,” a bespectacled Cummins said at Sydney airport. “It’s been a great year. To top it off, it’s been incredible. I think they’ve created their own legacy. “In a World Cup, you only get one chance every four years and especially playing in a place like India, it’s tough.
“Add to that an Ashes series away from home, a World Test Championship. We couldn’t have planned anything much better. So we’re a pretty happy bunch.”
Some players, like Cummins, will get a reprieve before Australia’s summer Test begins in Perth against Pakistan on December 14. But five players taking part in Sunday’s final will have the tough task of facing Australia’s five-match T20I series against India starting Thursday.
Travis Head, player of the final after his belligerent century, is among Australia’s squad but there are doubts over his availability for the opener after taking long innings ahead of this five-match series.
“Heady was definitely in the polls,” smiled all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, speaking in Melbourne. “I’m not sure he will play that game. I’m not a coach or coach, but if he plays that game it will be a miracle.”
Marsh, who captained Australia’s T20 team in South Africa before the World Cup, does not face the difficulty of trying to prepare for the series. Instead, he plans to rest before the summer test, although he appears to be in a battle with Western Australian teammate Cameron Green for the off-road position.
“We’re out of tools for a while. Come home, see the family, relax and get ready for summer,” Marsh said. “Playing against Pakistan, who have played some great cricket this year… it’s always an exciting summer.”
After a spectacular century in the third Ashes Test, Marsh replaced Green, who missed the match due to a hamstring problem. Green was supposed to feature prominently in Australia’s World Cup campaign, but he played only three games, the last of them against England on 4 November.
After making 47 in that match, Green said he wanted to play in WA’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Brisbane from 28 November and also in the subsequent Prime Minister’s Four-Day XI match against Pakistan in Canberra.
Test batsman Alex Carey, who was dropped in the World Cup by Josh Inglis after the opening defeat to India, said he would play for South Australia in their Shield match against Victoria next week.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there,” he said. “I don’t feel that Test and ODI cricket overlap, but we will wait and see when the Test selection comes out.”
