How a bizarre romantic coincidence ties four World Cup-winning cricket captains together

• Aussie Pat Cummins is latest skipper to win World Cup
• Joins the likes of Aussie greats including Ricky Ponting 
• Also joins exclusive club of captains to hoist the trophy 

An unusual quirk of the fate has seen four cricket captains win the ICC World Cup the year after getting married.

Since 2000, Australian champion Ricky Ponting along with India’s M.S. Dhoni and England’s Eoin Morgan have all hoisted the trophy after tying the knot with their respective partners.

Now you can add Pat Cummins to the list, after he married longtime girlfriend Becky Boston in August 2022 before winning the World Cup in 2023.

His rival captain Rohit Sharma tied the knot with long-time girlfriend Ritika Sajdeh in 2016.

Few cricket fans gave Australia much hope of toppling India in their own backyard, but the unusual quirk suggests that perhaps it was destiny.

Cummins and wife Becky Boston (pictured together with son Albie) continued the trend of captains winning the World Cup the year after getting married

Former Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting enjoyed two World Cup victories after marrying his wife Rianna (pictured together)

Former skipper Michael Clarke is the only captain to buck the trend, marrying ex-wife Kyly in 2012 before going on to win the World Cup in 2015.   

Australia’s brilliant final triumph on Sunday came after Cummins had taken the daring option of putting a flying India side in to bat.

Australia became the first side to bowl India out all tournament, before Travis Head’s 137-run masterclass had them pulling off the chase before 130,000 stunned fans in Ahmedabad. 

‘I couldn’t be prouder of the team for the last few years,’ Cummins said.

‘We’ve had some tough series but we’ve won some amazing series as well.

‘Everyone stood up, we feel like we’ve got a great red-ball team and the white-ball team has won two trophies in the last few years.

‘Things are looking pretty rosy.’

MS Dohni won the World Cup with India in 2011, a year after marrying his wife Sakshi

Former England skipper Eoin Morgan (pictured with wife Tara Ridgway) is another captain to taste World Cup victory the year after getting hitched

Cummins labelled the World Cup victory as even better than winning the Test Championship earlier this year. 

‘This is the pinnacle, no doubt,’ he said said.

‘The World Test Championship was huge after another two-year campaign, but with the ODI World Cup it’s the rich history.

‘To come out of a place like India where you know the conditions are so different to back home.

‘It’s pretty gruelling, 11 games in six weeks.

‘The way the group stuck together and got through it. Holding the medal, that’s the pinnacle.’

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