Cummins feels Australia 'created their own legacy' after World Cup triumph

Sydney, Nov 22 (IANS) Australia captain Pat Cummins believes his team have created a career-defining legacy with their 2023 ODI World Cup win, after a long six months on the road in India and England.

Cummins and other Australian players began landing back home on Wednesday morning, after days of celebrations in India.

"I think they have created their own legacy. A World Cup, you only get one chance every four years and especially playing somewhere like India, it's hard," Cummins said of his side as he touched down at Sydney Airport.

Cummins, hailed for his leadership in the semi-final and final, confessed that after Australia's initial defeats to India and South Africa, he believed their tournament was nearly finished

"To be honest (I did think we were long odds). It almost became sudden death really. We thought we pretty much had to be flawless from there on in just to make the semis. And we pretty much were. We started to find ways to win, even when we weren't having our best days," Cummins said.

"Even before the tournament, we knew playing ODI cricket in India, it's a pretty tough assignment. To be pitted up against the rest of the world and come away with a medal, it doesn't get any better than that. We couldn't have planned for much better. So a pretty satisfied group," he added.

Cummins and pacer Josh Hazelwood landed in Sydney on Wednesday morning while head coach Andrew McDonalds and Allrounder Mitchell Marsh touched down at the Melbourne Airport. Marnus Labuschagne landed in Brisbane.

Seven members of the squad have remained in India to feature in the looming T20 series, while the other half have returned to prepare for the Test summer.