The Australian cricket team captain, Pat Cummins is known for his exceptional bowling skills and leadership on the field. However, off the field, he faced what he describes as the “hardest time of his life”.  The allrounder has shed light on those tough times when he shuffled between playing a Test series against India and looking after the deteriorating health of his mother.

Cummins lost his mother Maria to cancer last year but before the tragedy struck, the Australia all-rounder was in India playing the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Pat Cummins reflects on a tough period at this time last year

In 2023, while playing a Test series against India, Cummins was dealing with a personal crisis. His mother, Maria, was battling cancer back home in Australia. Despite the challenging circumstances, Cummins continued to play for his country, juggling between the cricket field and his mother’s deteriorating health.

“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

Cummins had to leave midway through the Test series against India to attend to his mother’s health crisis. He knew when he was getting on the plane that he would have to return home in a couple of weeks. This period, he recalls, was easily the hardest time of his life.

In an interview with Imperfects Podcast, Cummins said, “But that time in particular – because we knew roughly the timeline, and knowing Mum and Dad as well; how much joy they get, sitting together, watching me play – that gave me enough confidence to go and play, and they were desperate for me to go and play, and I knew I could hop on a flight at any time and come back. But for those couple of weeks, I was in India, especially now that I look back on it, my mind was not in India, it was back home the whole time.”

Cummins’ mother, Maria, passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer. The news of her passing was a devastating blow to Cummins, who was still in India for the Test series. He admitted that his mind was not in India during those couple of weeks; it was back home the whole time.

Cummins revealed that he considered leaving the Australian captaincy to spend more time with his mother. He wanted to get away from everything – the fame, the reputation, and even Australia’s captaincy – and go back in time when life was a lot more innocent and simpler.

“But that time in particular – because we knew roughly the timeline, and knowing Mum and Dad as well; how much joy they get, sitting together, watching me play – that gave me enough confidence to go and play, and they were desperate for me to go and play, and I knew I could hop on a flight at any time and come back. But for those couple of weeks, I was in India, especially now that I look back on it, my mind was not in India, it was back home the whole time.”

“After about six or seven days when I knew I wasn’t going to come back to India, we said Mum’s in palliative care. But I literally could not have cared less what people were saying about me. Mum was a super private person, Dad was as well. So I know Mum wouldn’t want any attention at all. That was probably the main reason. But two, I just wanted to go back to being a kid. Just no one knows who you are; you’re just a son. I remember that for those two weeks [I was thinking], ‘I don’t want to go and play in front of millions of people and everything gets picked apart. I just want to be the kid who is sitting there with Mum and Dad”, Pat Cummins said.

Unfortunately, Pat Cummin’s mother couldn’t be around as Cummins ticked off the three most invaluable achievements as an Australia captain – retaining the Ashes against England, winning the World Test Championship and the ODI World Cup – all in the same year.

Pat Cummins’ experience sheds light on the personal struggles that athletes often face behind their professional facade. His story is a testament to his resilience and dedication, both as a cricketer and as a son.

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