IND v AUS 2020: ‘It probably wouldn’t have been his call’ – Brett Lee criticises decision to rest Pat Cummins

A day after legendary spinner Shane Warne slammed Australia’s decision to rest Pat Cummins, former Aussie fast bowler Brett Lee echoed the same sentiment.

As part of his workload management, the 27-year-old was rested after the second ODI against India till the end of the three-match T20I series on Tuesday (December 8).

In an interview with Fox Sports, Lee lent his support to Pat Cummins and said that players don’t generally ask for rest since any sort of break hampers the rhythm and confidence they are in.

“It probably wouldn’t have been his call, he probably would have wanted to play, the players generally want to play. I always found that for my rhythm personally that the more games I played, the better rhythm I had. I would have thought after a couple of games they shouldn’t be tired,” Brett Lee, who won the World Cup in 2003 and 2007, said.

Pat Cummins came into the ODI series on the back of a 53-day IPL 2020 campaign. He scalped 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.86 in 14 games, as the Kolkata Knight Riders finished fifth in the points table.

Warne had said that players should prioritize playing for their country over foreign leagues.

“Surely playing for Australia is more important than playing in the IPL. So I would say you choose. Either miss the IPL or you cannot miss games because you need a break coming off an IPL for an Australian game. It is a one-day international for Australia and you need a rest to get through the summer after two games,” Warne signed off.

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Pat Cummins’ pace and confidence is back: Brett Lee

Pat Cummins picked 14 wickets at an average of 27.79 in 4 Tests when India last toured Down Under in 2018-19

After going wicketless in the opening ODI, Pat Cummins returned impressive figures of 3/67 in the second game – both which Australia won comfortably by margins of 66 runs and 51 runs respectively.

Pat Cummins didn’t look in any sort of discomfort in Sunday’s ODI, and Brett Lee opined that a player should be rested only when he or she is battling an injury.

“If I had a week’s break, whether it be a break in the tournament or whether I was rested, it’s almost like you’ve got to go back and find that rhythm again. There could be a guy who is carrying a hamstring injury or a little niggle, shoulder might be a bit sore, and the best way to get them into their best preparation is to have a few days off.

“That’s fine but if they’re fully fit, they should be playing...The confidence is definitely back and his [Pat Cummins] pace is back and I expect that to continue all summer,” Lee, who has taken 718 wickets in 322 internationals, reasoned.

Pat Cummins will rejoin the squad ahead of the four-match Test series, which starts with a pink ball game at the Adelaide Oval from December 17.