Australia’s players wore black armbands for the second day of the fourth Test against India in Ahmedabad on Friday following the death of skipper Pat Cummins’ mother.
Cummins flew home after the second Test last month to be with his seriously ill mother.
“We are deeply saddened at the passing of Maria Cummins overnight,” Cricket Australia said in a short statement on Twitter. “On behalf of Australian cricket we extend our heartfelt condolences to Pat, the Cummins family and their friends. The Australian men’s team will today wear black armbands as a mark of respect.”
BCCI said, “On behalf of Indian Cricket, we express our sadness at the passing away of Pat Cummins mother. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family in this difficult period.”
Steve Smith stood in as captain for the victory in the third Test in Indore and is again skippering the tourists for the final match of the series in Ahmedabad.
India lead the series 2-1.
“To be able to put that to one side while he’s out captaining his country and trying to win Test matches is a pretty incredible effort,” Peter Handscomb was quoted as saying recently.
“I think that speaks volumes about his character and why he’s been such an incredible captain for us.”
The ICC too posted their condolences to Cummins and his family.
With AFP inputs
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