Pat Cummins Denies Australia Will Throw Match Against Scotland to Knock Out England

Australian captain Pat Cummins has shut down rumors that his team would consider manipulating the result of their upcoming T20 World Cup match against Scotland to eliminate England from the tournament.

This comes after England’s shaky start to the competition, where their inferior net run-rate compared to Scotland threatened their qualification for the Super 8s. Aussie seamer Josh Hazlewood’s comments about potentially hindering England’s progression further fueled the speculation.

However, Cummins clarified that Hazlewood’s remarks were meant as a joke and misinterpreted. “I was speaking to Joshy, who had a bit of a joke about it the other day, and think it got taken a little bit out of context.

“We’ll go there and just try and play Scotland, who have had a really good tournament so far and will be tough.

“It’s (net run-rate) something you kind of discuss as one of the quirks of the set-up but in terms of does it change the way we play? Absolutely not,” he stated after England’s win over Oman that significantly improved their net run-rate.

He acknowledged Hazlewood’s lighthearted comment and admitted it was taken out of context. Cummins emphasized their focus on facing a strong Scotland team and playing them with full competitiveness.

While England’s net run-rate situation has improved, their qualification still hinges on defeating Namibia this Saturday. Even then, they’ll need Australia to win against Scotland on Sunday for a chance to advance.

Scotland’s path is straightforward: a win or a washout secures their Super 8s spot. There’s also a complex scenario where a narrow England win and a Scottish loss could still see Scotland qualify based on their overall net run-rate average.