Cricket is a sport that truly ties into the Aussie identity. It’s a game that is plastered all over the telly, it’s played at backyard family functions and it’s birthed many Australian sporting icons such as Shane Warne and Ellyse Perry. However, when the stakes are high on the cricket pitch, punters don’t seem to realise how things unfold behind the scenes. Australian skipper Pat Cummins has now spilled the tea on how Australia’s biggest athletes cope with the pressure.
Representing the country in any sport is truly a difficult task. Although you have the credit of being the best in the country, you’d have to deal with all the pressure that comes with the media, the fans, the haters and of course, your own team members.
And most of the time, folks who are outside looking in don’t get to see this side of their favourite athletes. After all, they’re kinda marketed or portrayed as individuals who are just in it to win it. Thankfully, docuseries surrounding the sporting world are becoming a ‘yuge thing.
The Test — a docuseries that’s cricket’s version of Drive To Survive — takes us behind the scenes of some of cricket’s biggest moments, with season three following the Australian team during the 2023 UK Tour.
Although it focused on their objective to win, the Australian skipper hoped that the series would build a bridge between the fans and players, adding that he wants viewers to gain a new and deeper perspective of him and his fellow athletes.
“One of the reasons why we sign up for doing these series is that it does show different sides of the players,” Cummins told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“When I was a kid, all I wanted to know was, what the cricketers do off the field and in the change room, all those kind of little anecdotal things about the players.
“So I hope… people who watch this series feel like they’re closer to the players, they get a bit more of context of what makes the players tick. Maybe they’re a little bit more understanding if things don’t go right.”
Pat Cummins on being branded ‘Captain Woke’
Stepping into the role of Aussie Cricket Captain, in late 2021, hasn’t been so smooth sailing for Cummins. During the 2023 tour, the skipper copped criticism and was branded “Captain Woke” for his stance on social and political issues, including Black Lives Matter and climate change.
Reflecting on the title and the pressure he received for using his platform to bring attention to these issues, Cummins said that it was normal for captains and people in his position to cop some kind of label.
“[Woke] tends to be my label for whatever reason, which yeah, still trying to work out of that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Cummins said.
When it’s time to completely escape the cricketing world, Cummins mentioned that he had a great support system beyond the pitch.
“I try and kind of take breaks when I can,” he said.
“I try not to put anything extra on my plate if I don’t need to and I always have wonderful people around that I can lean on so it’s never just me by myself.”
Look, although she’s a big NRL (get your shit together Parramatta Eels) and football girlie, The Test truly gives us a few juicy details into the world of Australian Cricket such as the aftermath of the Lord’s Test match.
BRB as I clear out my weekend to binge-watch this nail-biting doco!
The Test Season 3 is streaming now on Prime Video.
Image source: Richard Heathcote / Getty Images
