My priority is Australian cricket: Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 20 May 2026, 03:55 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Pat Cummins has underlined that playing Test cricket for Australia remains his top-most priority, at least for the next few years, amid rumours that a few Aussie players were willing to forgo their national contracts to play franchise cricket globally.
Cummins has not been included in Australia's squads for the upcoming three-match ODI series in Pakistan and the white-ball tour of Bangladesh. His reaffirmation of national duty comes a few weeks after several Aussie players were left sour by the national contracts offered to them by Cricket Australia (CA).
He had previously spoken on the Business of Sport podcast about the hazards of the scheduling conflict between international and franchise cricket. He had specified that Australia's tour of Bangladesh was set to clash with the Hundred, and going to rob several Aussie players of an opportunity to play in the Hundred and earn upwards of AUD $675,000 (USD $485,000).
"Nothing has changed for me, my priority is Australian cricket, No. 1, particularly Test cricket," Cummins told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the New Balance Grey Days 2026 celebration and the launch of The New Retail Concept store in Delhi NCR on Tuesday. "As Test captain, I never want to miss any Test cricket and make myself available for as many Aussie games as I can.
"The IPL is good in that it normally fits in our holiday break, so that's the obvious one, but they are probably my main focuses, and I don't see that's going to change at all for the next few years for me at least."
Pat Cummins takes Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) into IPL 2026 Playoffs
Pat Cummins has guided SRH into the IPL 2026 playoffs following their five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Led by Cummins, SRH successfully chased 181 down at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday, May 18, to book a playoff berth.
They will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their last league stage fixture in Hyderabad on May 22. Their performance against RCB will decide their fate in the playoffs.
