>
Pat Cummins’ turn as host of the Australian Cricket Awards has come under fire from fans after the Test skipper ran into trouble during a chaotic opening of the ceremony alongside his female counterpart Meg Lanning.
Awards night, formerly known as Allan Border Medal night until 2018, has been widely criticized for its amateurish production and corny speeches.
It all went wrong with Cummins and Lanning being tasked with MC duties to start the proceedings.
During the opener, Cummins began to talk about the impact of fast bowler Scott Boland on the Test arena and tried to make a joke after opening batsman Usman Khawaja declared himself “the people’s champion”. .
Cummins acknowledged the public push for a Boland statue at the MCG.
“I know the entire MCG audience wants to see that,” he said.
‘Sorry Uzzie, there’s only one popular champion, that’s Scotty Boland.’
His attempted prank was met with a slight laugh, but it only got worse from there.
Cummins laughed and was unable to speak further, prompting a better response from the crowd than his joke.
While laughing, Lanning tried to take control of the proceedings, with limited success.
‘It’s my turn?’ she asked.
‘It’s actually my turn to talk. Really, good luck tonight everyone, I hope it’s a great night and I hope you have fun.
Cummins managed to regain his composure, adding: ‘Too much of us leading to that. Let’s start the night. Thanks.’
Cummins and his wife Becky Boston upon arrival for the 2023 Australian Cricket Awards at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney
Lanning impressed on the blue carpet, but failed to translate into success as a co-MC with Cummins. Lanning was named a finalist for the Belinda Clark Award
“Luckily no one is looking,” shot a viewer on Twitter.
“With all the money you pay them, at least send them to a public speaking course,” posted another.
“OMG…unprofessionalism and not funny at all…like the crazy man laughing at his own jokes that aren’t even funny,” another commenter wrote.
Even Cricket Australia took a dig at the pair, posting the video with the caption: “Did these two go to rehearsal?”
Cummins and Lanning set the tone for the evening, which did not improve after their first stumbles.
Shane Warne’s Men’s Test Player of the Year Usman Khawaja was impressive when it came time to speak at awards night.
Scott Boland and his wife Daphne on the blue carpet. Boland was a popular choice for Test Player of the Year by fans after exploding on the scene in The Ashes.
Khawaja and his wife Rachel also stole the limelight on the blue carpet with their stunning outfits.
One fan thanked Cricket Australia for sharing the results online so they didn’t have to put up with the coverage.
‘Thanks. It beats having to watch the rather painful procedures. It’s a shame, the original AB medal nights were quite entertaining,” they posted.
Others also lined up to last the amateur proceedings.
“These Aussie Cricket Awards look so rushed and messy it’s almost impossible to watch,” one viewer posted.
‘Why would you want to watch?’ asked another.
‘I wish @Channel7 had invested in better hosts, writers and directors. This #AustralianCricketAwards is amateur on another level. It all looks like a blooper roll. Cringeworthy,’ added another.
However, special praise was reserved for the winner of Shane Warne’s inaugural Test Player of the Year award, Usman Khawaja.
Very emotional (and very funny) speech by Usman Khawaja as the inaugural winner of the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year at the Australian Cricket Awards’, one fan posted.