ISLAMABAD: Australian skipper Pat Cummins was criticized by his country’s former captain Michael Clarke and other media personalities this week for attending British rock band Coldplay’s concert the night Pakistan beat the world champions to complete a rare 2-1 ODI series win.
Australia rested stalwarts Cummins, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Marnus Labuschagne in the third ODI against Pakistan in Perth on Sunday with the series level at 1-1. The Australian cricketers were given rest ahead of Australia’s Border-Gavaskar Test series against India which will start later this month.
Pakistan won the one-sided match comfortably on Sunday, beating Australia by eight wickets to secure their first ODI series win in the country in 22 years. Cummins’ wife posted a picture of her husband enjoying a Coldplay concert with him on Sunday night, triggering criticism from ex-Australian football and rugby players Mat Rogers and Scott Sattler.
“It was a decider, the one that matters and our captain went to a Coldplay concert,” Rogers said in a discussion with Sattler on Australia’s SEN radio network. “If you’re going to do it, just keep a low profile.”
Sattler criticized Cummins’ wife for posting a picture of the couple on social media, citing it as an invitation to “open yourself up to criticism when you’ve made yourself unavailable to represent your country.”
Former Australian cricket captain Michael Clarke said he was “confused” with the selectors’ decision to rest Cummins and the other cricketers with 11 days left till the first Test match against India.
“If Australia had won the first two games, then you can understand why they rest their big fish, but it was series on the line,” Clarke said on a radio show. “I understand resting for Test cricket, I love that, but it’s a one-day game. They are going to bowl more than that at training.”
Another former Australian captain Tim Paine came to the selectors’ rescue, defending them for giving younger players a chance to prove themselves.
“We’re blooding some youth and giving them experience while the big boys get ready for the Test series,” Paine said.
Pakistan will play a three-match T20I series against Australia starting Thursday. The first match will be played in Brisbane, the second in Sydney on Saturday while the third will be contested between the teams on Monday in Hobart.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins bashed for attending Coldplay concert while team lost to Pakistan
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Australian skipper Pat Cummins bashed for attending Coldplay concert while team lost to Pakistan
- Cummins was rested for third ODI at Perth which Pakistan won after humiliating Australia by eight wickets
- Former Australian cricketer Michael Clarke criticizes selectors for resting Cummins, other stalwarts for India series
Saudi Arabia condemns separatist attacks in Pakistan’s Balochistan
- Kingdom says it stands with Pakistan as security forces kill 92 militants in counteroffensive
- Attacks hit multiple districts including Quetta and Gwadar, killing civilians and security personnel
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia on Saturday condemned separatist attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, expressing solidarity with Islamabad after a wave of coordinated violence killed civilians and security personnel across multiple districts.
In a statement cited by the Saudi ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki, the Kingdom said it rejected violence in all its forms and stood with Pakistan as its security forces responded to the attacks.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the attacks carried out by separatist elements in various areas of Pakistan’s Balochistan province,” he said in a social media message. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia renews its firm position rejecting all acts of terrorism and extremism.”
Pakistan’s military said on Saturday its forces killed 92 militants, including three suicide bombers, while repelling coordinated attacks across the southwestern province, following assaults that targeted civilians and law enforcement personnel in several towns, including Quetta, Gwadar, Mastung and Kharan.
The military said 18 civilians, including women and children, were killed in attacks on laborer families in Gwadar and Kharan, while 15 security personnel died during clearance operations and armed standoffs.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry also conveyed condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, reaffirming its support for Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard stability and security.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has faced a decades-long separatist insurgency marked by attacks on security forces, infrastructure projects and civilians, as Pakistan steps up counter-militancy operations in the region.
