Australian cricket captains Pat Cummins and Alyssa Healy urge Matildas to take down England
Australian Test skipper Pat Cummins has one simple message for English goalkeeper Mary Earps ahead of the blockbuster World Cup semi-final between the long-time sporting foes.
“Play by the rules,” he joked, encouraging Earps to stay on her line after English cricketer Jonny Bairstow was controversially stumped when he left his crease during the recent Ashes series in the UK.
The semi-final in Sydney promises to be one of the biggest sporting spectacles ever seen in Australia, with the locals hoping to continue their recent run of dominance over England that includes retaining the men’s and women’s Ashes and beating them in the netball World Cup final earlier this month.
Veteran Australian opener David Warner also cast an early shot over the English bow, declaring the Matildas should be on watch for anyone asking to “change the ball”, referencing the fifth Test shambles during the Ashes when an old ball was replaced with a relatively new one for the home team’s attack to use.
“An early good luck to the @TheMatildas,” Warner posted on X (formerly Twitter).
“Just keep an eye out in case the Poms ask to change the ball.”
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Cummins was in the air when the Matildas beat France in a thrilling penalty shootout but that didn’t stop him from watching the quarter-final.
He said the rivalry between the two nations can define you as an athlete and this tournament has brought the entire country together.
“There’s nothing more satisfying as an Aussie than getting one over your English mates,” Cummins said.
“It’s really special. It’s not just on the field. We’ve
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