Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Today in workplaces around Australia there will be a few yawns going on, I suspect, because overnight there was quite a remarkable result in one of the greatest test matches of all time. To our captain Patrick Cummins, what a remarkable show of leadership. I think one of the best things about that 55-run partnership between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon was the fact that that they smiled the whole way through. They enjoyed it so much it was as if there was no pressure whatsoever. Usman Khawaja, with an incredible 206 runs, also deserves credit. He is a former player for my local team, Randwick Petersham—known as the Randy Petes—and he is a great Australian.

Can I say to Pat Cummins, the Australian cricket captain, he is a legend and a great Australian on and off the field. We contacted him to attend the dinner that was held for Narendra Modi just a few weeks ago. Pat Cummins and Steve Waugh attended that dinner and represented their nation. Pat Cummins represents his nation on and off the field with dignity and with commitment, and we are very proud of him and the entire team today.

Can I also say that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak generously sent me a congratulations message. As for his team, as I said in my message back to him, they played with courage and conviction. To declare their first innings closed with a few overs to go on the evening of day 1 showed the sort of spirit and sportsmanship which their team is certainly known for. We look forward to a great series. This has been an extraordinary beginning, and we look forward to the next four tests. We wish our team all the very best, and congratulations to them.

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