T20 World Cup 2024 | "I just turn up and have no worries": Cummins

Pat Cummins (Pic: File Pic)

Australia's Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins is enjoying his game after being released from the captaincy of the T20I format and also said all the "bases are covered" in the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pat Cummins claimed his first hat trick of the T20 World Cup 2024. He conceded 29 runs for three wickets against Bangladesh. His fellow teammate Adam Zampa returned with the figures of two for 24 runs to restrict opponents to 140 runs.

During the run chase, traditional opening batsman David Warner smashed his second fifty of the T20 World Cup 2024 as the Aussies won the match by 28 runs via the DLS method. With this win, Australia are still unbeaten in the T20 World Cup 2024.

"Really, we've kind of ticked off everything we have we could possibly do 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.

Also Read: India to go three-dimensional?

"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."

In Group 1 of the Super 8 stage, Australia now have a better run rate than that of India, who registered a win against 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 line-up, the batting order might change and things like that. It's got to be adaptable.

"Obviously, Ash (Ashton Agar) played the last game, he bowled really well. So, we feel like we've got all bases covered," he said.

"We've used 12 or 13 players so far and everyone's had a couple of performances where they should take confidence out of so yeah feel well positioned obviously doesn't mean that much but feels like we're in as good a place we could be."

Star pacer Mitchell Starc became the highest wicket-taker in the ODI and T20 World Cups when he picked the wicket of Bangladesh opening batsman Tanzid Hasan in the first over.

Hailing Starc's longevity, Cummins said: "It's not easy to play for a dozen years or so like he has, which he's been fit for all those tournaments. He's just a class bowler who takes lots of wickets and has played for a while.

"So that's impressive and then obviously just being a strike weapon, he can tear teams apart in white ball tournaments he's got a lot of kind of stood up when we needed to in big moments," he said.

David Warner who is all set to retire from international cricket after the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 is having a great run with the willow and Cummins said the left-hander always has an insatiable appetite for runs in big tournaments.

"It feels like every ICC event he's always up there in the runs tally. I love the way he's been taking the game on, some big sixes even over the deep fielders.

"So, he's always got a huge appetite for runs, particularly in these tournaments. And whether it's knowing it's his last hurrah or whatever, he looks in great form and continues to play with that freedom, which is great," Cummins said.

(With PTI Inputs)