NEWS
Follow UsAustralian Test skipper Pat Cummins has spoken for the first time since leaving India after the second Test in February to spend time with his ill mother. The right-arm pacer admits he suffered burnout after playing non-stop cricket for a couple of years but believes he can play till 35.
"Cricket's basically 12 months of the year; there's always a cricket game going on somewhere, and I played non-stop for a year or two," Cummins told WeAre8's 'Get Real with Rio'.
"This is about four or five years ago when I kind of just came back from injuries. And I was just spent, like burnout, and I just remember thinking, 'geez, I'm 25 here, but I want to do this until I'm 35' I've got to find a way to balance all these different things," he further added.
The 30-year-old endured a tough time in the last couple of months as he lost his mother, Maria, in March, a couple of weeks after returning to Syndey.
"It's still pretty raw at the moment, but the last few months have been lucky enough to spend loads of time with mum. But also us as kids, and with dad, and just sharing all those memories together," he said.
"I think it hits home the kind of person you want to be, the kind of father you want to be. So from that side, it's been quite good. Lots of memories. But in terms of the grief, I guess we'll keep working through that."
The speedster will return to lead Australia in the summit clash of the World Test Championship against India at The Oval on June 7 before the Ashes, which is set to kickstart on June 16.
