"Hardest time of my life" - Pat Cummins remembers the phase before his mother's death

Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has recalled how his mind was largely back home during the tour of India in early 2023. The 30-year-old has termed that phase as the hardest of his life.

With Cummins' mother suffering from cancer, he flew home after the first couple of Tests before returning to India. He didn't fly back to Australia for the remander of the tour. Soon after entering palliative care, his mother passed away during the fourth Test between the two sides in Ahmedabad.

Speaking to the Imperfects podcast, the pacer suggested that he regretted flying away when he could have spent time at home. The right-arm pacer elaborated:

"I knew when I was getting on that plane that I was going to have to come back in a couple of weeks pretty much. That was the hardest time of my life, easily. I probably felt it in the 12 months leading in. Any time I flew away I was like, ‘time’s finite here, I’m making a deliberate choice to go and play somewhere rather than spend it at home’. But for those couple of weeks I was in India, especially now I look back on it, my mind was not in India, it was back home the whole time,” he explained.

Nevertheless, Cummins had a year to remember in 2023 on the cricketing front. He led Australia to glory in the World Test Championship (WTC), followed by helping them retain the Ashes. Cummins then captained Australia to their sixth ODI World Cup title by beating hosts India in the final.

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"My experience over the last nine months is that she pops up every day" - Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins. (Image Credits: Getty)

Cummins insisted that he remembers his mother constantly in almost every step of his life.

"My experience over the last nine months is that she pops up every day. In decision-making, how you want to live your life, when things knock you around, you’re copping backlash, I think of her all the time, what would she say, what would she think, what would be her little bits of advice," he elaborated.

Cummins is currently in New Zealand for the two-match Test series, which Australia currently lead 1-0.