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Pat Cummins has revealed his surprise when Scott Morrison added him to a private WhatsApp group and how he accidentally sent the former prime minister a message meant for his teammates.
Cummins’ surprise is laid bare in the second season of The Test, Amazon’s behind-the-scenes documentary about the Australian cricket team, which premieres on January 13.
In an episode of the four-part second series, Cummins is riding in a car with Mitchell Starc before the first Ashes test in Brisbane when he finds out that Morrison added him to a WhatsApp group called ‘The Legends’.
Pat Cummins has revealed that Scott Morrison added him to a private WhatsApp group containing former Australian coach Justin Langer after he was named test captain.
The group also featured former Australia manager Justin Langer, who resigned midway through the documentary, which covers a 4-0 thrashing of England and the Test series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Cummins’ predecessor, Tim Paine, was also part of a WhatsApp group with Langer and Morrison during his tenure as Australia’s test captain.
In a bizarre coincidence, the group created by the former PM shared the name with the group chat containing the Australian bowlers and led to an embarrassing moment for Cummins.
“The bowlers have a Whatsapp group called ‘The Legends’, which we name ourselves,” he said. Age and the Sydney Morning Herald.
Morrison nicknamed the group ‘The Legends’ and regularly sent messages to Cummins
The group shared the name with the group of Australian bowlers, including Cummins and Mitchell Starc (right), created for themselves on WhatsApp.
Then they added me to the group “The Legends”, which was another, Scott Morrison, then Prime Minister, and I remember laughing with the guys thinking that it would be better not to send the wrong thing to the wrong group.
I did it once. I think it was a stat or a photo or a meme or something that came up and I sent it to the wrong group and had to quickly delete it.
And the conversation with Langer and Morrison was far from idle, as Cummins revealed that the former premier was regularly messaging ahead of Test matches.
The second series of the Test takes place at “a tumultuous time for leadership in the Australia men’s cricket team”, against the backdrop of Paine’s resignation as captain and Langer’s acrimonious departure.
Morrison had a similar group with Cummins predecessor Tim Paine (center left)
The duo figured prominently in the first series of The Test, but are conspicuous by their absence in the second season.
Langer coached Australia to the T20 World Cup and Ashes glory only to resign less than a month after Australia retained the ballot box.
The former Australian opener left his role in February after not being offered the long-term deal he wanted, with Cricket Australia offering a contract to stay in charge only until the end of the 2022 T20 World Cup.
His position had been the subject of debate since the summer of 2021, when Australia lost a home Test series against India and reports of discontent with his methods began to emerge.
The new series of The Test, Amazon’s behind-the-scenes documentary about the Australian cricket team, premieres on January 13.
Two months ago, Langer reignited his war of words with Cricket Australia when he criticized some of the players as ‘cowards’ with ‘an ax to grind’.
However, Cummins pushed back against the criticism before the summer.
“There are no wimps in an Australian cricket team, ever,” he said ahead of the series against the West Indies in November.
“I think it’s disappointing that sometimes the focus is on issues off the pitch, but it hasn’t really affected our team.” I think there is no ill will in what he [Langer] was trying to do and clarified [his comments] after.’
Cummins was at the center of controversy earlier this summer, when it faced criticism for its stance on climate change.
A disappointing T20 World Cup and poor attendance during the Test against the West Indies in Perth fueled speculation that the public may be put off by the team’s stance on social issues.
Tim Paine (left) and Justin Langer (right) feature prominently in the first series of The Test, but are conspicuous by their absence in the second season after stepping down from their roles.
But the Australian said the recent series against South Africa showed that the team is still as popular as ever.
“At the start of the summer there was no real cricket to talk about, so that became the narrative,” he said.
“The team’s ability to put that guesswork aside and continue with what they’re doing has been great.
“Every place we’ve been to, the crowd has been fantastic.”