Australia captain Pat Cummins has come to the defence of Sam Konstas following recent scrutiny of his on-field conduct during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. In the post-match press conference, Cummins discussed the role of the ICC and match officials in setting the rules and the standard for conduct, making it clear that the team respected those decisions, even if they did not always agree with them. "I think, first of all, obviously ICC and Andy Pycroft set the rules and set the punishments. You know, we saw that in Melbourne with Virat [Kohli], 20 per cent. That's what they thought. So, it doesn't really matter what we think. They set the rules. So, obviously, that's the standard that they're happy with," Cummins said.
Turning to the case of Konstas, Cummins expressed his admiration for the young player's approach.
"I think, in regards to Sam, you know, I think he's, I've been really impressed with how he's gone about it. I think people mistake a bit of confidence with bullying or abuse. You know, he's, you're allowed to walk around with your shoulders puffed back and play a few cricket shots. I don't think that's illegal, but some people really take offence to that and want to kind of put him back in his place," he added.
Cummins emphasized that the team encourages its players to be true to themselves on the field.
"For us it's always just, and we say the same to all our players, is just bring yourself every day. You know, be yourself. Go about it how you think represents yourself the best and how you want to play," Cummins said.
"Yeah, I think he's been really good this series. He's stood up for himself when he's needed to," he added.
Konstas has earned praise for his resilience and maturity, standing his ground
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