Australia’s young fast bowler Pat Cummins will be pulled from a trip to Pakistan to help boost morale in the wake of a “sexting” scandal that has undermined national team morale.
Cummins’ name emerged in a furore after revelations of a sexual video involving him and teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, with both men suspended following their actions during the third Test against South Africa.
Cummins, on a four-year development contract in the Australian Academy of Sport, has been taken out of the squad for the Pakistan series that begins on Thursday and will not travel after some players had expressed their disappointment with the bowler.
“It’s been a very tough week to deal with,” Cricket Australia’s managing director of high performance Pat Howard said in Brisbane on Thursday night. “Some of the players had concerns for Pat and the things he’s been put through.”
Former Australia cricket captain Michael Clarke questions its culture Read more
Howard also indicated the allegations against Cummins had been confirmed by Cricket Australia’s integrity officers.
“We believe there’s a story there that Pat Cummins has been involved in inappropriate behaviour and it’s not fit for a player in the Australian cricket team,” Howard said.
“It’s something Pat Cummins has admitted to and we are confident he is going to deal with it effectively.”
There has been further humiliation for Australia with media reports that the international contracts for all 12 players in the team have been pulled by Cricket Australia as they stand for a one-day series in Zimbabwe at the end of the month.
The players’ contracts for the World Cup in England and Wales in 2019 have also been put on hold until at least next year to give the embattled Australian players “the time and space” they need, Howard said.
Cummins, 22, is hoping to re-establish himself as a regular international cricketer following an injury-plagued career that has made only 19 Tests since his debut in 2012.
Warner, who was leading the team after the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, has also been suspended by Cricket Australia for one match pending an investigation and Bancroft, who was caught using a piece of sandpaper to alter the condition of the ball, has been suspended for nine months and asked to apologise to England after being dropped for the first Test against Pakistan.
A statement from Cricket Australia said: “Cricket Australia acknowledges the recent scandal surrounding the Australian cricket team and is conducting an independent review of the culture of Australian cricket, the management of player behaviour and cultural assessment within its national programs.
“Cricket Australia will not be making any further comment while the review is underway.”