Australia cricket star Pat Cummins says climate change ‘not a sexy topic’ after BBC backlash
Australia cricket star Pat Cummins has admitted climate change is 'not a sexy topic'
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Australia cricket star Pat Cummins has admitted climate change is 'not a sexy topic' after winning the prize for athlete of the year at the controversial BBC Green Sport Awards.
Conservative MP Peter Bone took aim at the corporation on Monday, blasting the awards as 'irrelevant'.
He told GB News: "It sounds like a very strange thing to do.
"It sounds like they're trying to push an agenda and I'm not sure why the BBC should be doing that.
Conservative MP Peter Bone slammed the BBC for the Green Sport Awards
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"It looks like the BBC are wasting more license fee money on something that's not relevant.
"Either you're the best sprinter or the best tennis player.
"I'm not sure what being green has to do with it?"
And Cummins has now admitted climate change is 'not a sexy topic' - but insists it's key to raise awareness.
"We are lucky in Australia that we can afford to put solar panels on our roofs and they will work for us with all the sun that we get," he stated.
"But other countries are going to face different problems.
"Climate is not a sexy topic. But we want to be able to show that we've made a difference, and that it's not just about words.
"Now, we want to go big scale and make big difference."
Cummins has also challenged governments around the world to make changes quicker to overcome the growing threat of climate change.
"I think we can always move faster and I think it's up to us to show that," added the Australian.
"Everyone has to get a move on. A lot of these solutions, we can do today - so there's no point waiting."
Cummins believes cricket will be severely impacted by the changing climate and has already experienced that first-hand, too.
"We recently played a Test match in Delhi where we were basically wearing face masks to train in because the air was so dense," he said.
"But in Bangladesh, it was close to 100 per cent humidity, about 40 degrees, and you just can't function.
"I like to think of myself as quite fit and I can bowl six, seven, eight overs in a spell.
"But two overs into a spell I had to leave the field and jump in an ice bath, it was that extreme."
Some might condemn Cummins for winning the award given that, as a cricketer, he jets around the world.
But he's insisted he'll use his status as a means of driving change, adding: "Cricket has got a huge footprint, but with that comes a huge opportunity.
"People look to sports for leadership and it can bring people together.
"You're always going to run into people who would rather bury their heads in the sand but that's OK.
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Pat Cummins helped Australia retain the Ashes this year
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"Hopefully we can change minds and show there is a path forward.
"Flying, unfortunately, is a side-effect of our job but I try to offset every bit of travel I do each year.
"No one is ever going to be perfect, but we can all do something."
Cummins is set to lead Australia when the Cricket World Cup commences on Thursday.
Australia do battle with India in their opening match on Sunday looking to win the competition for the first time since 2015.