ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has taken his unconventional methods of leadership to new heights this week after taking the team to an underground cockfight in Peckham.
Cummins has told The Advocate that he didn’t want to “run the usual road” of forcing the team to wear their baggy greens to a tennis match or going to visit some boring castle in some shithole town in the Midlands – he wanted to do something different.
“[David] Warner was especially excited,” Cummins said to our reporter.
“So too was Gary. Gary [Nathan Lyon] loves cockfights. But yeah, that’s pretty much what I wanted to do. Take some of the blokes out of their comfort zone. Obviously, Davey [Warner] and Gary were deep in their comfort zone but for the young blokes like Cam Green, it was a real experience and I think we really grew as a team,”
“I know this might result in me copping a bit of flak in the press but there’s nothing new, it’s part of the territory when you hold the highest office in Australia [laughs] No, tell you something you’ll like, Scotty [Boland] won hundreds on this rooster called ‘Ringo Scar’. He was getting into it. Smudge [Steve Smith] was really upset after the first rooster had it’s throat cut and some blood got flicked on his face. It was so funny but poor Smudge,”
“All in all, it was a really fun night. Davey is keen to head back when we come back to London.”
News that Cummins had taken the team to gamble on rooster death fights has not been received well here in Australia with a number of animal rights groups expressing their shock and disgust.
One group is even calling on the Prime Minister to sack Cummins.
“We thought he was one of us, you know, one of the goodies,” said Animal Justice League Betoota president Brett Goblin.
“I’m so disappointed. How can you be pro-climate change and a feminist but also find enjoyment in going to cockfights? Pat Cummins should resign and if he doesn’t, Albo should sack him.”
More to come.
