Pat Cummins has opened up on life in the Australian Test team without David Warner, revealing Travis Head’s new unofficial role, and how team dinners have changed since the veteran retired.
Warner bid farewell to Test cricket last week in Sydney, leaving Australia with a gaping hole at the top of the order, as well as in the group’s Whatsapp chat.
The left-hander didn’t just lead the Australians as opener, but was also in the thick of it when it came to extra-curricular activities, such as organising rounds of golf, and places to eat.
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Asked on Tuesday about the Test team’s dynamic now Warner is gone, Cummins joked with reporters that it’s been a breath of a fresh air since losing such a big personality.
“It’s been good,” Cummins said.
“Davey’s stepped down and Travis Head has stepped up into the David Warner role.
“He’s hot on Whatsapp, he’s booked golf, he’s booked dinners.”
Cummins added that it’s not just the loosening of Warner’s stranglehold on the Whatsapp group that’s changed.
“I know the coaches had to reintroduce themselves to each other now that they get a word in at dinner,” he joked.
Taking a more serious note, Cummins said it was yet to hit home that Warner wouldn’t be returning to the Test XI he graced for well over a decade.
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Warner was a staple in the team since his debut in 2011, going on to play 112 Tests, with Cummins by his side for about half of them.
“Davey’s a big personality. He had a fantastic send-off in Sydney, we’re gonna miss him,” Cummins said.
“It’s going to be a bit different.
“Once we play a few games back-to-back it will start hitting us that we lost a big personality around the group.”
The hole left by Warner in the Australian XI will be filled by Smith at the top of the order, while Cameron Green takes the vacated spot at No.4.
Cummins tipped the shake-up to succeed long-term, but joked that there was at least one red flag after Monday’s team golf round organised by Head.
“Hopefully he bats better than he hits his 7-wood,” Cummins joked about Smith.