"Best Thing Is I'm Not Captain": Pat Cummins After T20 World Cup Hattrick

Australia Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins is enjoying his game to the fullest after being released from the burden of captaincy in the shortest format and said all their "bases are covered" in the ongoing 2024 T20 World Cup. Cummins claimed the first hattrick of the T20 showpiece en route to his 3/29 spell, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa returned with tidy figures of 2/24 to restrict Bangladesh to a below-par 140/8 in their opening match of the Super 8 stage here.

In reply, veteran opener David Warner led the chase with his second fifty of the tournament as Australia won by 28 runs via DLS method to remain unbeaten in the tournament with five wins on the trot.

"Really, we've kind of ticked off everything we could've possibly done so far. Overall it was a fairly polished performance, which is kind of what you want in Super Eights," Cummins, who was replaced by Mitchell Marsh as T20 skipper, said at the post-match media interaction.

"We feel like we've got all bases covered. So yeah, we'll rock up there. The best thing of all this is I'm not captain or selector or anything, so I just turn up and have no worries," added the WTC and ODI World Cup-winning Australia skipper.

"Obviously, two points, but also to get a good run rate. And it feels like over the course of the tournament so far, just about everyone's had a game." Australia now lead the Group 1 Super 8s table on account of a better net run-rate over India, who registered a facile win over Afghanistan.

He also noted the team's readiness to adjust and utilise different players, expressing confidence in their versatility. "We've been pretty open with that, that anyone in the squad's ready to play and the bowling line-up might change at different times, the batting