Boland\u2019s reveal on selection shock<\/a><\/p>\nThe last two days in the Eastern Cape coastal city have been frustrating, which could dampen the mood of any group stuck at close quarters with each other.<\/p>\n
But Cummins said the Aussies have learned to embrace the differences in personalities across the group and were relaxed in the company of each other and their rivals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say the playing group and the environment we have is the thing I\u2019m most proud about,\u201d the Australian skipper said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re just a great bunch (of people), very eclectic. We\u2019ve got a bit of everything in there, but everyone just gets on and I think \u2026 everyone embraces each other\u2019s quirks. <\/p>\n
\u201cNo-one is safe. There\u2019s plenty of jokes flying around, but it is just a great group. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe love getting on tour \u2026 everyone has obviously grown up quite a bit since whatever it was eight, nine years ago as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all in our 30s, so I think everyone is a little bit more secure in themselves and sure of who they are. It\u2019s been great. It\u2019s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aussie stars preview South Africa series | 10:23<\/p>\n
Australian vice-captain Travis Head told foxsports.com.au in September that he doubted the tour would devolve into an instance of boys behaving badly with good reason – the players know each other far too well now due to playing alongside each other in franchise cricket competitions around the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it has changed things. It is completely different to what it would have been in the 2000s and the 2010, forever probably, before franchise cricket,\u201d Head said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look back on those series that we watched, you could probably sense on the TV when you rewatch some of those 2000, 2010 series, etc, that it was a real us against them mentality. (They would take) no prisoners. You can sense that when we get celebrations, and the send-offs here and there, the sledging here and there. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut now you don\u2019t really see it because we play with each other as much as we do. I think like in terms of sledging and all getting into each other, it\u2019s very rare that you see it because so many guys play with each other or someone in the team has played with that person who can vouch for them, and yeah, take another role if someone\u2019s got a different opinion. So yeah, (it\u2019s) interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is a point Josh Hazlewood, who was unwell on Monday afternoon and failed to take to the field, agrees with, though he said it does not dim the intensity of the contests.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou definitely understand each other more,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Is it) friendly on the field? No, I wouldn\u2019t say that. I\u2019d still say it\u2019s quite (intense). But it\u2019s different. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s (like) the old saying, you know, I would rather beat my brother in a game back in the day than a complete stranger because then I can give it to him for you know the next few weeks or the next few months or the next few years or whatever, (whereas) you know you\u2019re never going to see that stranger again. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo \u2026 I feel like you have more of an edge when you\u2019re playing against your best mate or a brother or even a friend from franchise cricket who you want to get the better of purely because then you get the result of the day, but then you\u2019ve got the result for the next 12 months, potentially, of reminding him about it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two and a half months in India. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s friendlier but I\u2019d still say it\u2019s as intense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haddin backs Maddinson for test return | 01:28<\/p>\n
There is also less sledging. <\/p>\n
Back in 2018, the Aussies wanted the field microphones turned down. <\/p>\n
But Cummins is on the record as saying he finds sledging a bit cringe. <\/p>\n
It does not mean the Aussies do not chirp, but they are less aggressive now. <\/p>\n
However former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin said that even before the infamous tour of 2018, there was always a cordial relationship between the teams despite the feistiness they demonstrated when in the middle.<\/p>\n
The battles were intense on the field, but once stumps was called, the bottles would start clinking as they relayed war stories to each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe conditions are very similar and when you\u2019ve come up against South Africa, it\u2019s vicious at times on the field,\u201d he said on the Keepin\u2019 It Cricket.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing I enjoyed most about playing in South Africa and against South Africa was when you went across the line, it was game on. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut also when you finished \u2026 you respected each other. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou respected the game. You went hard. But at the end of the series, you also walked into their change room – normally, they\u2019re playing drinking games and you get involved in that – which is a bit scary. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe respect after the series was always there.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj shakes hands with Australia’s Pat Cummins after the Test in Durban, with the relations between the two sides notably better on this tour. (Photo by Marco Longari \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n
South African star AB de Villiers found himself in a share of enlivening clashes against the Australians on the 2014 tour and was part of what sparked the furore in 2018 when Nathan Lyon dropped a ball near his head in the first Test after he was run out for a duck.<\/p>\n
The relationship had deteriorated by the time he retired but de Villiers said he treasured the series earlier in his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s about the drinking games. It\u2019s more about the spirit afterwards,\u201d he said on the same podcast with Kayo Sports\u2019 Alyssa Healy. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe love singing songs and just enjoying the victory and showing respect \u2026 and (it is) not always the victory, but even if you lose, to show respect to the opposition. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome of my most memorable moments were actually after the game, seeing someone like Ricky Ponting or Matty Hayden in a different kind of state, when they let that competitive side of them go, and just sharing stories about the game and about life. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s not so much about the drinking, even though that brings out some of the funny side of some of the individuals and the characters, but it\u2019s more so just about seeing these competitive athletes in a relaxed environment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shortly before the rain arrived in Gqeberha on Sunday, Australian captain Pat Cummins was scratching around on St…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":934492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-934491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/934492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=934491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=934491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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