Ahmedabad: Australia players on Friday wore black armbands on the second day of the series-deciding fourth Test against India to pay homage to skipper Pat Cummins' mother, Maria who died in Sydney. Maria, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, had been battling serious illness in the last few weeks after it relapsed. She died at her home on Thursday night.
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The Australian players got the tragic news from coach Andrew McDonald before the start of day two of the final Test here. "We are deeply saddened at the passing of Maria Cummins overnight," Cricket Australia said in a statement on Friday. "On behalf of Australian Cricket, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Pat, the Cummins family and their friends. "The Australian men's team will today wear black armbands as a mark of respect." Cummins, who had led Australia in the first two Tests, had left for Sydney to be by the side of his ailing mother, who was in palliative care last month.
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In his absence, Steve Smith captained the side to a nine-wicket win in the Indore Test. Earlier yesterday, Usman Khawaja combined patience with grit to raise his 14th Test hundred that guided Australia to a comfortable 255 for four as a keen contest between bat and ball marked the opening day of the fourth and final match. After dominating the batters in the first three matches of the series, the Indian spinners struggled to trouble the Australians with the Motera track, as anticipated, turning out to be a better wicket. (PTI)
