Australian skipper Pat Cummins says, being a resident of Sydney, he is anguished about the Bondi Beach terror attack before the forthcoming third Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval, starting Tuesday.
An attack by a father and son on a Jewish celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday killed 15 people, leaving dozens injured. It was the worst mass shooting attack in Australia in the last 29 years since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
“Like most other Aussies, I was just horrified watching on,” Cummins said. “I would just put the kids to bed and flick on the news as that was coming through. My wife and I were kind of watching in disbelief.
“It’s a place that’s just around the corner from where we live, and we take the kids there all the time.
Cummins’ young family are eastern suburbs locals in Sydney. The pacer’s wife and two children are with him in Adelaide for this Test.
“It hit home pretty hard. I really feel for the Bondi community and the Jewish community in particular. Seeing the kind of scenes over the last couple of days has been pretty powerful as well,” Cummins added.
The third Test will mark the first major sporting event in Australia since the attack, with the country still in mourning. Flags will also be flown at half-mast, and the players will wear black armbands.
