(Image Source: ICC)
[Saba Sports News] England all-rounder Ben Stokes grudgingly congratulated Pat Cummins and the Australian team on their ICC World Cup 2023 win, following a jestful remark by Cummins about England’s performance. Stokes, sensing the underlying competitive banter, posted his congratulations, albeit with a sense of reluctance, acknowledging Australia’s triumph.
“Taken me a while to type this with gritted teeth. Congrats to Pat Cummins and his Australia team on winning the World Cup,after 8 weeks of hard fought cricket there is nothing better than lifting that trophy at the end of it,” Stokes posted on ‘X’.
Australia’s strategic decision to bat first in the final at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad proved decisive. They bowled out India for 240 and comfortably chased down the target, securing victory with six wickets remaining. Stokes, in his social media post, admitted the difficulty in extending congratulations to the Australians.
Cummins expressed his satisfaction with Australia’s performance, especially after initial setbacks against India and South Africa. He praised his team’s resilience in the final, successfully chasing down 241 with seven overs to spare, highlighting the impressive turnaround in their World Cup campaign. Cummins also commended the team’s spirit and effort, despite being an “aging side.”
“I think we saved our best for last. We have been batting first pretty much for the whole tournament and we thought it was a good night to chase down the target. The pitch didn’t really spin as much as we thought either. The boys were fantastic, we got an aging side and still, everyone is throwing themselves on the field,” Cummins said.