Australian captain Pat Cummins has opined on being referred to as ‘woke’ by saying that one cannot leave their values behind after reaching unparalleled heights as well. He also stated that travelling overseas and playing cricket around the world has exposed him to a lot of social issues. However, he has come under criticism on several times and has been termed as ‘Captain woke’ and ‘climate catastrophic clown’ for his progressive opinions regarding Black Lives Matter Movement, climate change, and supporting the cause of indigenous and aboriginal people as well.
Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins said: “There’s some things that you don’t want to budge on. You can’t just leave your values at the door. I love this country. So I think there’s areas that we should celebrate and there’s areas that we can always improve, just like anywhere else in the world. But yeah, I’d say from my parents and family. You know, mum and dad have always been very clearly focused on what’s important and that’s always been instilled in us kids. I think also playing cricket, and travelling the world for 12 years, opens your eyes. You meet hundreds, thousands of people along the way, and that always helps shape who you are and how you think.”
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However, the veteran speedster has also achieved success as captain this year, which started with winning the World Test Championship final in June and retaining the Ashes in England as well. Pat Cummins also became a World Cup-winning captain by winning the 2023 edition.
“Yeah, I was, for sure. Especially to see two really good mates having their tenures end the way they did. It felt like I was walking straight into it, a little bit. I love putting everything into bowling and I wasn’t sure how the added dimension of captaincy, which I hadn’t really done before, was going to affect it. But since I was a kid, learning all about the history of cricket, you know the Australian captaincy is a big thing, so I felt a real sense of responsibility,” Pat Cummins concluded.