“You’ve got to go and win a World Cup,” he said at the post-match presentation. “You just can’t wait for it to happen. And I think you got to be brave at times, you got to take the game on. And it was a real shift after those first two games. With our batting particularly you saw the openers going out really aggressive and pretty much didn’t waver from that for the rest of the tournament.
“Think we saved our best for last. And a couple of big-match players stood up and, yeah, we’re pretty chuffed.”
In the final, too, Australia found themselves in trouble when they were down 47 for 3 chasing 241. Mohammed Shami had removed David Warner for 7 in the second over and Jasprit Bumrah had Mitchell Marsh caught behind for 15. Soon after, Bumrah got the crucial wicket of Steven Smith in the seventh over, having him pinned in front for 4.
It was only after that did Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne combine for the match-winning partnership of 192, to not let India into the game at any point then on.
“I was one of those blokes with the hearts fluttering upstairs, I was pacing [after 47 for 3],” Cummins said. “Marnus walked in and out and a cool head straightaway. And Trav just does what he does – really brave again, he takes the game on, puts the pressure back on the bowlers. And to do it on the biggest stage shows a lot of character.”
Australia were not only impressive with both bat and ball but with their fielding too. Thirty-seven-year-old Warner in particular was electric in the field, flinging himself to save a number of boundaries while fielding near the rope.
“[We were] desperate for sure [on the field],” Cummins said. “It all started last week in South Africa [in the semi-final]. The boys are fantastic. And we’ve got an ageing side. But everyone’s still throwing themselves around in the game, [especially] when you got a big stadium like this packed.”
“Amazing,” Cummins said of Head’s form in the tournament. “I think you have to give it to the selectors that backed him even when he was out with a broken hand and the medical team to get him back. It was a big risk that we took and it paid off and you couldn’t be happier for Travis, a legend. We love him and he’s easy to watch.”