Cricket Australia and Alinta Energy have quashed reports this week suggesting Australia’s Test cricket captain, Pat Cummins, played a role in the decision to end their $40 million sponsorship agreement, writes Gavin Dennett.
It has been widely reported in several Australian news outlets that Cummins (pictured above), a known advocate of climate-change action, fronted Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley to voice his concerns about Alinta Energy’s sponsorship deal with the Australian team, which includes prominent logos on its playing shirts.
However, any discussions that are alleged to have taken place between Cummins and Hockley about the sponsorship agreement came after the decision by Alinta Energy to end its commercial arrangement with Australian cricket’s governing body “due to a change in brand strategy” in June 2022.
The sponsorship deal has been extended for one more season, until June 2023, but then Cricket Australia will go to market for a new major commercial partner.
In February 2022, the Clean Energy Regulator listed Alinta Energy’s parent company, Pioneer Sail Holdings Pty Ltd, as Australia’s sixth highest carbon emitter, with 10.7 million tonnes of scope 1 emissions during the 2020-2021 financial year.
While Cricket Australia and Cummins have denied he had a role in ending the relationship with Alinta Energy, the fast bowler has admitted he made the players’ position clear to Hockley in a recent conversation.
“More so than ever before, you’re seeing players’ personalities, interests and passions shine through and have a bit more of a say than maybe in the past,” Cummins recently told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“The most obvious, front-of-mind things you can see is who we partner with. I hope when we think of who we want to align with, who we invite into being part of cricket, I hope climate is a priority.”
Back in July 2022, Cummins assembled Australian cricket’s leaders, including Hockley, for a summit in Sydney to address how the sport can reduce its carbon footprint.
“We’ve got a big footprint, there’s no doubt about that, but we have initiatives to help offset it,” said Cummins.
One such initiative is Cricket for Climate – launched in February 2022 – with its Solar Clubs program to install solar panels at local cricket clubs around Australia.
Netball Australia is also addressing player unrest following the inking of a $15 million sponsorship deal with mining giant Hancock Prospecting.
Australian netball team players voiced their concerns at wearing uniforms emblazoned with the name of the company owned by Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, due to concerns over its stance on environmental and Indigenous issues.