Australia skipper Pat Cummins joined the ongoing Australia Day debate and remarked that a more appropriate day must be chosen to mark the day. His remarks come hours after Cricket Australia chief Nick Hockley remained adamant that the board was not boycotting Australia Day and that they just wanted to play cricket.
Cummins dives into Australia Day debate
Speaking to reporters, Cummins noted CA has been quite consistent with their approach to Australia Day for the last 4-5 years. The Aussie skipper stated that while he respects the day and the sentiments behind it, a more appropriate date must be found to mark the occasion.
“My personal opinion is I absolutely love Australia and think it is the best country in the world by a mile. I think we should have an Australia Day, but I think we can probably find a more appropriate date to celebrate.
“Knowing a couple of those players that you mentioned (Boland and Gardner), you hear the stories and their feelings.
“I think in particular with a sport like cricket which has such diversity and millions of people following it and supporting and playing it you get a good spectrum and a good feel of what the community kind of expects.”
“Once you start realising Jan 26 and why it was chosen … Australia Day’s meant to be a celebration of everything Australian and our history. I think we can choose a better date.”
Despite outbursts from indigenous players such as Australia women’s cricketer Ash Gardner, the CA chief remained adamant that they just wanted to play cricket on that day. Hockley claimed that they were not boycotting Australia Day and that they were mindful that it meant different things to different people.
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