Playing IPL behind closed doors might be need of the hour, admits Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins, who in Dec 2019 became the costliest overseas buy in IPL history, has revealed that he had no issues playing IPL behind closed doors and attested that health must be prioritized. Cummins, on Thursday, was named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the year for his outstanding 2019.
With the coronavirus pandemic having already disrupted plans to start the IPL 2020 on time, as things stand, a delayed start, too, seems out of the equation. And thus, one of the ideas that’s been thrown around is to hold the tournament behind closed doors at a later date, either in the June/July or August/September window, to ensure that the season is wrapped up.
And one cricketer who is in full support of the idea is Australia quick Pat Cummins, who was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for a staggering fee of Rs 15.50 crore. Cummins attested that organizers - and players - must do everything they can to ensure big events go ahead, but batted for the idea of playing behind closed doors in order to ensure the safety of the fans.
"Of course -- whatever it takes to try and get cricket up and play those big events safely. The first priority is safety but the second one is getting back to normality. It's finding that balance. If that unfortunately means no crowds for a while then that's that but hopefully people can watch at home on television," Cummins said, reported Times of India.
2019 turned out to be an outstanding year for the 26-year-old as apart from ending the year as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket in the calendar year and also the highest wicket-taker in the Ashes, the speedster also remained the No.1 Test bowler throughout the entirety of the year.
Cummins was thus named as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the year and the pacer admitted that he was ‘caught off guard’ by the award. The New South Welshman further expressed that he was honoured to have been bestowed with such a prestigious award.
"The first I heard about it was a couple of months ago. The award is held in high regard in Australia, I remember my dad and grandad talking about it. It caught me off guard to get it but I feel very honoured and privileged to win it. I had to keep it quiet, I hadn't told anyone," Cummins said of the Wisden announcement.
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