Legendary Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath has shared his take over Aussie Test skipper Pat Cummins’ decision to skip the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Ahead of the IPL franchises retention/released players list submission deadline, Cummins, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 7.25 crore at the mega-auction in February this year, had announced his decision to opt-out of IPL 2023 citing a hectic international schedule, including Ashes and ODI World Cup.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to miss next years IPL. The international schedule is packed with Tests and ODI’s for the next 12 months, so will take some rest ahead of an Ashes series and World Cup. Thanks so much to @KKRiders for their understanding. Such a terrific team of players and staff, and I hope I can get back there ASAP,” Cummins had tweeted.
Thanks so much to @KKRiders for their understanding. Such a terrific team of players and staff and I hope I can get back there ASAP 💜💜
— Pat Cummins (@patcummins30) November 14, 2022
Reacting to Cummins’ decision, former Australian fast bowler McGrath has come out to extend his support to the New South Wales cricketer. McGrath felt that fast bowlers should take a rest to balance out things and give preference to representing the national side.
“Cummo has come out and said he’s not going to the next IPL. That’s where you have your offseason, get strong and get through the next season. If you don’t do that, you’re a car that never refuels. Sooner or later, you’re going to run out. Fast bowlers need to have a bit of an offseason because bowling and running depletes your strength,” said McGrath while speaking to AAP.
“You don’t want to devalue the Big Bash, but you have to weigh up what is important. Playing for Australia should still be the be-all and end-all. Test cricket is still the ultimate,” the 52-year-old added.
Cummins has so far played 42 matches in the lucrative league, picking up 45 wickets at an average of 30.16 and an economy of 8.54, with 4/34 being his best performance.
