How Pat Cummins’ love of hipster brew kombucha could anger one of Cricket Australia’s major sponsors

Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins has been announced as the face of kombucha producer Nexba in a move which could get under the skin of one of Cricket Australia‘s major sponsors.

Cummins, 30, isn’t shy when it comes to guzzling Nexba’s hipster brew, and unlike many other Aussie cricket greats such as the late Shane Warne or batter David Boon – who reached for a beer as soon as they were in the dressing room – the right-arm quick prefers a fermented sweetened black or green tea to quench his thirst.

The skipper was spotted enjoying the hipster drink during the Ashes series on home soil in 2021 – but complicating matters is the fact Cummins also happens to be a Gatorade brand ambassador.

Owned by PepsiCo, the US sports drink brand is partnered with Cricket Australia and often use the clean-cut Cummins for its marketing.

Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins is the new face of Nexba, who produce the hipster brew Kombucha

Cummins, 30, was happy to become a brand ambassador as he wants to promote a healthy lifestyle – but complicating matters is the fact Gatorade’s a major sponsor of Cricket Australia

After extending their deal with CA in October of 2021, Cummins was happy to spruik the famous sports drink.

‘We all put in an incredible amount of hard work behind the scenes in order to perform at our peak, and Gatorade is such an integral part pre, during, and post-match,’ the skipper said at the time.

‘I am so excited to be a part of the Gatorade family and can’t wait to help drive the extensive grassroots cricket initiatives.’

But according to the Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins’ new deal with Nexba probably won’t leave executives at PepsiCo thrilled.

As his Aussie team chases victory in the Ashes, the paceman said he was delighted to be associated with an organisation like Nexba that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

‘Good health and well-being have always been an important part of my life,’ Cummins said.

The late Shane Warne (pictured) enjoys a swig from a champagne bottle after being taunted by England fans at Old Trafford during an Ashes tour in the 1990s

Australian paceman Dennis Lillee is pictured having a drink in his playing days in what became an iconic image – but Cummins likes to satisfy his thirst in a very different way

‘Partnering with Nexba and Goodness Group Global allows me to extend that passion and make a real impact in the lives of people by promoting healthier alternatives to sugary and artificially sweetened drinks.’

The beverage deal is another example of Cummins defying what’s traditionally been expected of Australia’s cricket captain in moves that have seen him labelled ‘woke’.

He ignited a storm of controversy last year when he effectively appeared to force Cricket Australia to end a $40million sponsorship with energy provider Alinta, which he had ‘ethical objections’ to. 

Both Cricket Australia and the skipper have vehemently denied that was the case, but that didn’t stop fans, former greats, pundits and even politicians accusing him of double standards given he drives a carbon-guzzling Range Rover, flies first class all over the world and has a partnership with a Chinese solar energy company, Longi, that has been implicated in slave labour. 

In January this year Cummins said he will continue to share beliefs he is ‘passionate about’ and thinks he ‘can make a difference with’, before rubbishing claims he was part of the Alinta row and comparing himself to the founder of Apple.

‘I am not doing things to please absolutely everyone,’ he said.

‘Steve Jobs said he would go and sell ice cream if he wanted to do that.’