Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n
As far as captaincies go, Pat Cummins has had one of the most successful and gruelling years on record.<\/p>\n
By August, the 30-year-old already had a World Test Championship win under his belt and retained the Ashes on enemy turf.<\/p>\n
But arriving at Sydney airport on Wednesday morning, two days after Australia\u2019s World Cup triumph, Cummins declared the victory in India was a highlight of his career.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery half-an-hour or so you kind of remember that we just won the World Cup, and get excited all over again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still buzzing, it\u2019s been an awesome couple of days, and we\u2019ll be smiling for a fair while.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs captain, there\u2019s always things you do that sometimes don\u2019t pay off, and sometimes they do pay off, and I was pretty pumped to win the other day.<\/p>\n
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Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins arrives back in Sydney after his World Cup victory.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Rhett Wyman<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cCareer highlight. Captaincy aside, this is the pay-off, playing with these boys. It doesn\u2019t get any better than that.\u201d<\/p>\n Even Cummins admitted they were a long shot at the title after suffering losses to India and South Africa in their first two matches of the tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, to be honest, it almost become sudden death really,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thought we pretty much had to be flawless from there on in [after losses] just to make the semis, and we pretty much were.<\/p>\n Australia celebrate their World Cup victory.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cWe started to find ways to win, even when we weren\u2019t having our best day. Before the tournament, we knew playing ODI cricket in India is a pretty tough assignment, so just to make the semis we were pretty pumped, but then obviously keen to go a bit further.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe belief never left, even at the start we knew we hadn\u2019t played our best, but we kind of knew once we clicked we could take on anyone, and that proved to be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Most of the Australian ODI team have made their way back to Australia for a few weeks\u2019 rest ahead of the home summer, while Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis prepare for a five-game T20 series in India starting on November 24.<\/p>\n But all-rounder Mitch Marsh cast doubt on Head\u2019s availability for the opening T20 matches, questioning whether he would be fit to play due to the team\u2019s ongoing victory celebrations.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m no selector or coach but if he plays that game it\u2019ll be a miracle,\u201d Marsh said on arrival in Melbourne on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n The 32-year-old Marsh celebrated the victory ahead of his return to Australia, marked by a now iconic photo of him resting his feet on the top of the World Cup trophy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s got a bit of legs that photo, hasn\u2019t it? Pardon the pun.\u201d<\/p>\n March was unaware he had copped criticism in some quarters for the photo.<\/p>\n Mitch Marsh arrives back in Melbourne on Wednesday morning.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Jason South<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cAm I?\u201d he asked. \u201cI haven\u2019t seen a lot, but there you go.\u201d<\/p>\n Following in the footsteps of his father Geoff, who scored 428 runs in Australia\u2019s 1987 World Cup final victory, Mitch said it was \u201camazing\u201d to have his father watch on in India.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was 40 years ago that Dad won in India, and to follow in his footsteps is pretty crazy. To have him there, and celebrate winning World Cups \u2013 he\u2019s a past player, so always love having those guys in the change rooms. It was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian summer kicks off with a Test series against Pakistan starting on December 14 in Perth, but Cummins said they would take some time to soak in the year before the team regroups in a few weeks.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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