Pat Cummins urges Australia Day date change from January 26
Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins. Picture: Getty ImagesBy PETER LALOR
SENIOR SPORTS WRITER- UPDATED 1:29PM JANUARY 23, 2024,FIRST PUBLISHED AT 12:16PM JANUARY 23, 2024
- 350 COMMENTS
The annual outbreak of outrage is at hand after Cricket Australia revealed it had no plans for a special celebration on January 26 which falls during the Brisbane Test.
Cricket has taken a similar stance it has taken over a number of recent years.
Cummins was keen to express his love for Australia while accepting a need to change the date, which is considered by many indigenous Australians as inappropriate.
“This conversation comes up every year really and Cricket Australia has been pretty consistent over the last four or five years in the way they approach it,” Cummins said.
“My personal opinions is I absolutely love Australia, it is the best country in the world by a mile and I think we should have an Australia Day, but I think we can probably find a more appropriate day to celebrate.”
READ MORE: Cummins joins push to change Australia Day date | Outrage over kids’ Australia Day lesson | ‘We’re not boycotting Australia Day’: CA boss’ on-air grilling | Cricket Australia boss in trainwreck Australia Day radio interview | Zverev hits out at security over match-stopping protest | Australia Day matters to most |
A number of senior indigenous players have backed the organisation’s attempts to be inclusive to all Australians around the issue, including Ash Gardner and Scott Boland. Cummins applauds the attempt to be inclusive.
Loaded: 0.00%
Click to unmute
news.com.auCricket Australia Boss appears to not want to say 'Australia Day'
The chief executive of Cricket Australia has been... See more
“I think in particular a sport like cricket, which has such diversity and has millions of people following it and supporting it and playing it. You get a good spectrum of the community and a good feel for what the community kind of expects.
“So, knowing a couple of those players ... you hear the stories and their feelings and it does gather extra importance.
“I think it is hard because something like Jan 26 does mean some something different to different people. We absolutely love Australia and feel really lucky and privileged to be here in this country but it is a delicate one. It’s gonna be a tough day for some, but hearing that it’s gonna be close to a sellout of the Gabba.
“It’s gonna be really well supported. I think we’re all going to celebrate anyway, it’s yeah, it’s a tough day, it means different things to different people.
“Once you start realising Jan 26 and why it’s chosen, Australia has been a bit of celebration of everything in our history and I think we could find a better day.”
Australian Cricket Captain Pat Cummins has revealed his thoughts on changing the date of Australia Day. His remarks come as Cricket Australia decided to scarp the term ‘Australia Day’ at the upcoming Gabba Test. “It’s a… tough day, it means different things to different people,” Mr Cummins said during a More
Cummins’ Cricket for Climate initiative was celebrating the installation of solar panels at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane that they claim will save $50,000 in energy costs in the first year and 398 tonnes of emissions.
Based on current energy pricing, this panels are estimated close to $1 million in savings over the 20-year lifespan of the project and removing close to 8000 tonnes of carbon.
Cummins, who said he had read a lot about climate change in recent years, believes cricket has a particular responsibility because of its footprint but it is also a game vulnerable to the extremes of climate change.
“We travel a lot of all the time around the world,” he said. “We play under lights, we’ve got a pretty big footprint as international cricketers, but I also think as a sport, we’re quite vulnerable to the environment as well.
“Extra heat and suddenly you have extra drinks breaks and you can’t function as well. If you get extra rain you can’t play at all, storms, smoke, all those things affect the games of last couple of years.
“So I think we’ve got a responsibility to try and do our bit to where we can minimise our footprint.”
Cummins’ Cricket for Climate has seen clubs given subsidised access to install panels which allows cost savings that can be put back into the game.
