Cricket Mar 08, 2026

Tributes paid to Bondi shooting victims in third Ashes Test in Adelaide as Australia captain Pat Cummins says events 'hit home pretty hard'

👤
By Admin
Sports Journalist
Tributes paid to Bondi shooting victims in third Ashes Test in Adelaide as Australia captain Pat Cummins says events 'hit home pretty hard'

Australia and England players wore black armbands during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide following Sunday's shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Fifteen people were killed and many others injured after gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah celebration to mark the start of the Jewish holiday.

Flags flew at half-mast during the game at the Adelaide Oval from Wednesday, while Australian folk singer John Williamson performed his 1982 hit True Blue on the opening morning after a moment's silence was observed.

Australia captain Pat Cummins, whose family live in Bronte, a neighbouring suburb to Bondi, said the attacks "hit home pretty hard", while England skipper Ben Stokes described the events as "awful".

Cummins told reporters on Tuesday: "Like most other Aussies and people in the world, I was just horrified watching on.

"We had just put the kids to bed and flicked on the news as that was coming through. Me and my wife were watching in disbelief.

"It's a place just around the corner from where we live and we take the kids there all the time. We really feel for the Bondi community and the Jewish community, in particular. Seeing the scenes over the past couple of days has been pretty powerful as well."

Stokes said during his pre-match press conference: "We were sat in our team room and it came up on the news about what was happening.

"It was silence from everyone in there seeing that happen. It's incredibly sad for Australia, for Sydney and for the world.

"It does put things into a lot of perspective when you see things like that happen. For everyone it's affected, all our hearts go out to everyone. It's a horrible thing to see."

South Australia Police has confirmed an additional security presence, including armed officers, will be at the Adelaide Oval this week, although fans have been told that there is no increased threat level.

Todd Greenberg, chief executive of Cricket Australia, said: "This is a tragic time for all Australians and the thoughts of everyone in the cricket world are with the victims of this terrible event, their families, friends and the Jewish community.

"While sport can seem insignificant at times like this, we have the unusual opportunity to bring millions of people together to pay tribute, to console and to contemplate what we want our nation to be.

"I'm grateful John [Williamson] has agreed to perform True Blue, which has at its essence the ideal of Australians from all backgrounds sharing the same hopes and aspirations.

"We will continue to look at ways cricket can support and honour those who have been affected by the Bondi shootings and thank those who provided assistance during and since this tragedy."

Tags:

cricket news

Share this article

Related Posts

Alyssa Healy: Australia women's cricket legend ends one-day international career with 158 in win against India in Hobart

Alyssa Healy: Australia women's cricket legend ends one-day international career with 158 in win against India in Hobart

Australian women's cricket great Alyssa Healy ended her one-day international career with a sublime knock of 158 as Australia comfortably beat India i...

T20 World Cup: Pakistan players reportedly fined after failing to reach semi-finals, including leading run-scorer Sahibzada Farhan

T20 World Cup: Pakistan players reportedly fined after failing to reach semi-finals, including leading run-scorer Sahibzada Farhan

Pakistan's players have reportedly each been fined $18,000 (approximately £13,530) for an underwhelming T20 World Cup campaign in which they failed to...

Women's T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures: Hosts England grouped with Scotland and Ireland as full schedule revealed

Women's T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures: Hosts England grouped with Scotland and Ireland as full schedule revealed

Hosts England have been grouped with Scotland and Ireland for this summer's Women's T20 World Cup, as the full schedule was finalised.Scotland and Ire...

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: England out to 'capture the nation' as Nat Sciver-Brunt looks to replicate Lionesses and Red Roses' success

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: England out to 'capture the nation' as Nat Sciver-Brunt looks to replicate Lionesses and Red Roses' success

England captain Nat Sciver-Brunt hopes her side can "capture the nation" during the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup on home soil this summer.The tournament...

England intra-squad series teams announced with eight uncapped players given shot to impress in Pretoria ahead of Women's Cricket World Cup

England intra-squad series teams announced with eight uncapped players given shot to impress in Pretoria ahead of Women's Cricket World Cup

England have announced 30 players will to travel to Pretoria for a rescheduled intra-squad series, with eight uncapped players given a chance to impre...

T20 World Cup final, India vs New Zealand: Jasprit Bumrah and Sanju Samson help home side retain title with 96-run win in Ahmedabad

T20 World Cup final, India vs New Zealand: Jasprit Bumrah and Sanju Samson help home side retain title with 96-run win in Ahmedabad

Wilson verbally agrees terms on new West Ham dealLatest from Your Site News' Lyall Thomas and Chris Reidy:Callum Wilson has verbally agreed terms on a...