World Cup 2023: From here on, every game like a final for us, remarks Australia skipper Pat Cummins

Australian skipper Pat Cummins has backed his side to bounce back from the dismal start they have suffered in the tournament saying every match is almost like a final for the team as they have to win most of the fixtures out of the remaining ones.

Lucknow: Before the start of the World Cup 2023, Australia were the title contender to lift the silverware. However, the scenario has changed now after the Aussies suffered a poor start losing their first couple of games. As a result of such a dismal start, the Australian team is placed in the penultimate position in the points table currently.

Also, their net run rate is negative which is a big cause of concern for the team. Reflecting on the kind of start his team has got, Australia skipper Pat Cummins opined that every game is like a final from here on for the team.

"Not an ideal start at all. Everyone's desperate to turn it around. We're obviously 0-2, so we've got to start winning and start winning quick. Every game now becomes almost like a final. You've got to win just about all of them," Cummins said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Sri Lanka.

Australia will now have to win most of their remaining games but the only sigh of relief they can have is two mighty opponents are done with and the scheduled lineup consists of fixtures with sides Australia has better chances to win against. Reflecting on the defeats, Cummins stated that they had lost against India and South Africa in the 2019 edition as well but made it to the semi-final eventually.

"Looking back at 2019, India and South Africa were the two teams that we lost to in the round games there. In the last year, they're kind of the two teams that we've had the most trouble against. So, the opportunity now is we've got some teams we haven't played for a while that we've had a lot of success against and be really confident when we go out there," he added.

In the opening games against India, Australia's batting unit crumbled as they were wrapped up only on a total of 199. In the game against South Africa, the bowling was taken to the cleaners as South Africa managed to cross the 300-run mark in the first innings. Further, to add to the agony, batters also crumbled under pressure and the innings was bundled out yet again for a total below 200.

"No doubt we haven't been up to the standard that we like to hold. We've been off the mark and were outplayed in both games. When we're at our best, we're putting big runs on the board. We're putting the pressure back on the opposition," he concluded.

"Bowlers are taking wickets through the middle. So, we haven't been able to pull any of that together so far. So yeah, we know what makes us a really good team. Again, it wasn't that long ago. We're number one in the world. So, we don't have to look back too far to work out when we're playing our best."