'Climate is not a sexy topic' - Australia skipper Pat Cummins challenges governments to act swiftly on climate change after receiving BBC award

Australia skipper Pat Cummins reckoned that climate change is 'not a sexy topic' after winning the BBC Green Sport Athlete of the Year. Notably, he faced severe criticism from conservative MP Peter Bone, terming the awards as 'irrelevant'.

Cummins doubted that the BBC might be trying to push an agenda by offering such awards. He also stated that there is nothing to do with green when someone is a good sportsperson.

"It sounds like a very strange thing to do. It sounds like they're trying to push an agenda and I'm not sure why the BBC should be doing that. It looks like the BBC are wasting more license fee money on something that's not relevant. Either you're the best sprinter or the best tennis player. I'm not sure what being green has to do with it?" Cummins told GB news.

The 30-year-old insisted that it is critical to raise awareness regarding climate change. He further challenged governments all over the world to make instantaneous changes to crush the hazard of climate change. 

"We are lucky in Australia that we can afford to put solar panels on our roofs and they will work for us with all the sun that we get. But other countries are going to face different problems. Climate is not a sexy topic. But we want to be able to show that we've made a difference, and that it's not just about words. Now, we want to go big scale and make big difference. I think we can always move faster and I think it's up to us to show that," he added.

No one is ever going to be perfect, but we can all do something: Cummins

The Australia pacer feels that cricket will be harshly affected by climate change as he shared his experience of the same while playing in India as well as in Bangladesh. He cited the example of a recent Test match which Australia played in Delhi. During the Test series, Pat Cummins along with his teammates were spotted wearing face marks while training. Moreover, he also shared his experience of playing the neighbouring nation, Bangladesh.

While playing against the Bangla Tigers, Cummins recalled that the humidity levels were so high that the pacer had to take an ice bath just after bowling only two overs of bowling spell compared to his usual bowling rate during the Test matches.

The 30-year-old further insisted that he will use his award as a tool to make change. He added that it will not be perfect all the time but everybody will be able to do something for the aforementioned topic.

"Cricket has got a huge footprint, but with that comes a huge opportunity. People look to sports for leadership and it can bring people together. You're always going to run into people who would rather bury their heads in the sand but that's OK. Hopefully, we can change minds and show there is a path forward. Flying, unfortunately, is a side-effect of our job but I try to offset every bit of travel I do each year. No one is ever going to be perfect, but we can all do something," Cummins concluded.