“Touched” – Pat Cummins responds to Barmy Army’s special gesture for his ailing mother

Australian captain Pat Cummins has thanked Barmy Army’s special gesture to his ailing mother by playing the song ‘Maria’ in tribute during England’s Test against New Zealand on Monday.

Earlier on Saturday, Barmy Army shared the video, with the caption:

“‘Maria’ from West Side Story in support of Pat Cummins, who’s mother Maria has entered palliative (serious illness) care.”

In response, Cummins wrote:

“This is amazing @TheBarmyArmy, thank you. Mum loved watching this and felt very touched.”

Since being shared, the video has garnered 959.9 K views.

For the uninitiated, Cummins will remain in Sydney and miss the third Test against India to be with her seriously ill mother. He flew to Australia after the Delhi Test, where the visitors lost by six wickets.

Speaking to AAP, Cummins said:

“I have decided against returning to India at this time as my mother is ill and in palliative care. I feel I am best being here with my family. I appreciate the overwhelming support I have received from Cricket Australia and my teammates. Thanks for your understanding.”

The speedster might sit out for the remaining two Tests but is likely to return for the three-match ODI series against India, which starts in Mumbai on March 17.

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Steve Smith to lead Australia in Pat Cummins' absence

Steve Smith will lead Australia in the upcoming third Test in Indore in the absence of Pat Cummins. Since being named deputy, Smith has won both games as skipper against England in the Ashes 2021-22 and the day-night Test versus West Indies. The 33-year-old will look to help the Aussies stage a comeback.

It’s worth mentioning that the visitors are 0-2 behind in the four-Test series. Besides winning the second Test in Delhi, Team India won the first Test by an inning and 132 runs in Nagpur.

Australia squad for the third Test: Steve Smith (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Lance Morris, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matt Kuhnemann.