sport news Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins HANDED BACK huge six-figure sponsorship ... trends now
Pat Cummins was in the thick of last year's so-called 'sportswashing' sponsorship controversy, but there was a time he did in fact return a six-figure sum to a big-name backer.
The 29-year-old Aussie skipper has worn New Balance cricket gear ever since he first hit the spotlight as a tearaway quick who was set to become one of the country's greatest-ever fast bowlers.
With speeds nudging close to 160kmh and six-wicket haul on his Test debut in 2011, the down-to-earth Blue Mountains native was hot property; but unfortunately, a series of debilitating back injuries meant he didn't return to the Test arena for another five years.
It's been revealed that Aussie cricket skipper Pat Cummins forgoed an enormous sum of money from his long-time sponsor while he spent years in the injury wilderness
Cricket Australia, conscious they had someone very special on their hands, and New Balance stuck by the prodigious quick as he suffered setback after setback.
So much so, Cummins was uncomfortable taking a huge sum from New Balance given he wasn't able to promote their batting equipment and shoes while wearing the baggy green.
The injury-ravaged quick, who completed a Bachelor of Business while he recovered, insisted he forgo a six-figure sum from the athleticwear giant until he could properly represent their gear on the world stage.
New Balance vice president Darren Tucker, who played for NSW, said Cummins' act was like nothing he'd seen in his post-cricket career.
Pat Cummins, pictured running on his farm in a New Balance top, has been sponsored by the company for over a decade
'We certainly didn't pay him the full amount,' he told the Daily Telegraph.
'He signed with us almost straight out of South Africa, his first Test. Obviously the next five years he probably had three stress fractures.
'You have these agreements with certain athletes around the world and their contract is their contract and that's what they do,' said Tucker.
Standing by Cummins throughout his time in the wilderness - and subsequently saving six-figures by his generous act - certainly has paid off for New Balance.