They “didn’t cross paths” but Australia captain Pat Cummins was at the same venue from where his World Cup-winning teammate Glenn Maxwell was rushed to hospital after a reported late-night drinking session and the star pacer responded to the incident by saying “any decision you make you’ve got to own it”. Both Cummins and Maxwell were attending a concert by ‘Six and Out’, the band which features former pacer Brett Lee, in Adelaide. Cummins said he left the venue much before his teammate allegedly lost consciousness and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
“Potentially, I think only ‘Maxy’ can answer that one,” Cummins was quoted as saying by ‘The Sydney Morning Herald’ when asked whether Maxwell needed to reconsider his choices.
“I was there at the Gov for the concert, but I left pretty early – I knew he was in town but I didn’t cross paths with Maxy at all,” he said.
The World Cup-winning captain added, “We’re all adults and part of being an adult is you make your own decisions.
“In terms of this incident he wasn’t on tour with Australia, he was over there for a private event, so he wasn’t with the cricket team. So it is a little bit different, but absolutely, any decision you make you’ve got to own it and be comfortable with it.”
Cricket Australia (CA) is already investigating the mishap. Maxwell was out drinking and watching a concert by ‘Six and Out’, the band featuring former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee, when he felt unwell.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke also expressed his shock and said the thought of an ambulance made him “nervous”.
“To have to be put into an ambulance, that makes me nervous. With these sort of things, with off-field stuff. I like to go, ‘Benefit of the doubt and innocent until proven guilty’,” Clarke said on ‘Foxsports’.
“One thing I know, Cricket Australia will get to the bottom of it. These days there’s cameras, there’s people, so the truth will be told. The other thing we need to do is making sure he’s OK. He didn’t end up spending the night there (in hospital).
“I can’t think of a time where I’ve had to call an ambulance or an ambulance had to be called for me, no matter how drunk I was. So I’m worried is there more to this and I just hope he’s OK first and foremost.”
Maxwell, who last week stepped down as captain of BBL side Melbourne Stars after failing to make the finals, was not named in the 13-man squad to face the West Indies in a three-match ODI series from February 2 and 6.
“It is not related to him being replaced in the ODI squad, a decision that was made following the BBL and based on his individual management plan. Maxwell is expected to return for the T20 series. No further comment will be made at this time,” CA had said in a statement.
Last year, Maxwell faced a series of injuries but despite that, he performed admirably in the World Cup.
During the ODI World Cup in India, Maxwell suffered concussion when he fell off a golf cart in Ahmedabad.
In 2022, he broke his leg when he slipped while running at a friend’s birthday party and remained out of action for more than three months.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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