- The Australian skipper is about to make a huge career change
- Joins other Australian stars in making the move
US Major League Cricket’s strength as a T20 destination tournament has increased with Australian star Pat Cummins signing a massive four-year contract to play for the San Francisco Unicorns.
It is yet another signature that the Big Bash was unable to secure as Cummins has joined the growing list of Australian guns, including Steve Smith, to join the young competition.
Cummins has not played in the Big Bash since 2018 due to international commitments that prevent many of Australia’s top players from participating in the tournament.
Several, including Cummins, have signed ambassadorial deals as a way to keep them involved in the Big Bash.
Cummins (pictured with wife Becky Boston) is among the Australian stars who have signed up to play in the US Major League Cricket competition
But he has only played in one overseas competition, the Indian Premier League, after signing several big-money deals and earning more than $3 million this season as captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Cummins had previously turned down a $1.3 million IPL contract to focus on Test cricket.
Cricket is taking off in the US, with T20 World Cup matches being played in New York and Dallas, and Cummins said he saw a bright future for the game there and wanted to get involved.
The 31-year-old also revealed that developing business connections that he can use following his eventual retirement from the game was a key reason for signing up.
“MLC is developing at a rapid pace and the US market potential is enormous for cricket,” Cummins said.
“While cricket is an integral part of my involvement, the global network and long-term opportunities provided by the owners in particular, and Silicon Valley more broadly, provided a unique opportunity for me and my life outside of cricket.”
The Aussie Test skipper has not played any Big Bash League cricket but did play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (pictured)
This year’s MLC will be played from July 6 to 29, after the T20 World Cup, but Cummins’ availability next year could be affected by a two-Test series in the West Indies in June and July.
Cummins is among a group of Australians who have joined the MLC, with batting dynamo Jake Fraser-McGurk captaining the Australian at the San Francisco Unicorns this season. Washington Freedom has also signed several high-profile Australians, including Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head and Smith.
The MCL has achieved List A status for the second season and is now recognized as an official T20 competition, with records counting towards official T20 statistics.