John Williamson will perform at Adelaide Oval as part of a tribute to Bondi terror attack victims, with Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes ready for a sombre Test
Pat Cummins has detailed how horrifying footage of the Bondi Beach terror attack hit him hard, as Cricket Australia announced a series of tributes for the third Ashes Test.
The week’s Adelaide Test will mark the first major sporting event in Australia since Sunday’s mass shooting, with the country still very much in mourning.
John Williamson will lead a rendition of True Blue as a tribute to victims before the game begins on Wednesday, following a minute’s silence at Adelaide Oval.
Flags will also be flown at half-mast and players will wear black armbands, while increased security and specially trained police will be at the ground.
Cummins’ young family are eastern suburbs locals in Sydney. The star paceman’s wife and two children are with him in Adelaide for this Test.
“Like most other Aussies, I was just horrified watching on,” Cummins said.
“I’d just put the kids to bed and flicked on the news as that was coming through. Me and my wife 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.
“It hit home pretty hard.
“I really feel for the Bondi community and the Jewish community in particular.
“Seeing the kind of the scenes over the last couple of days has been pretty powerful as well.”
Cummins has also taken to social media this week to urge Australians to donate blood, as part of a national call to boost supply.
In a statement, Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Todd Greenberg said the Adelaide Test had a chance to “bring millions of people together” during a tragic time.
“The thoughts of everyone in the cricket world are with the victims of this terrible event, their families, friends and the Jewish community,” Greenberg said.
“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.”
England have united with their Ashes rivals in expressing shock and support this week.
“What happened over a couple of days ago was an awful thing,” captain Ben Stokes said.
“We were set up in our team room and heard the news of what was happening. It was just silence from everyone.
“It’s obviously incredibly sad for Australia, Sydney and the world as well. It does put things into a lot of perspective when you see things like that happen.
“For everyone that is affected, all our hearts go out to everyone, it’s just a horrible thing to see happen.”
CA will also stage tributes at BBL matches.
Sydney Sixers, whose players were given mid-game access to mobile phones to check on family and friends during the Bondi Beach attack, will host Adelaide Strikers at the SCG on Wednesday night.
Players from other sporting codes continue to express disbelief and support, with Sydney Swans’ entire AFL squad visiting Bondi’s makeshift memorial on Tuesday.
The Swans have used the beach as their base for countless recovery sessions, while multiple players live in the area.
2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes
First Test: Australia won by eight wickets
Second Test: Australia won by eight wickets
Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 10:30am AEDT
Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10:30am AEDT
Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10:30am AEDT
Australia squad (third Test only): Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Harry Brook (vc), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue
