Ponting hails Barmy Army for heartfelt tribute to Cummins' mother; 'Best group of fans'

Ricky Ponting heaped the praise on England fan group Barmy Army as they dedicated a heartfelt tribute to Pat Cummins' ailing mother. Cummins left for Australia after the second test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy as he wanted to be with his mother, who entered Palliative Care. However, the Aussies didn't encounter any problems in the third Test as the visitors registered a brilliant nine-wicket victory over the Indian side in Indore.

Barmy Army, known for their staunch support for England cricket, came up with a brilliant idea during England's Test against New Zealand in Wellington. Their trumpet player played "Maria" from West Side Story as a tribute to the Australian skipper's mother. Cummins' return to the squad before the third Test is hovering under the clouds. The last Test is set to start on 9th March at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Ricky Ponting hails Barmy Army effort for Pat Cummins' mother

Pat Cummins took to Twitter to thank the Barmy Army as he revealed his mom loved the part. "This is amazing @TheBarmyArmy, thankyou. Mum loved watching this and felt very touched."

Praising Barmy Army's effort Ponting said, “I mean, that's fantastic. And that's the exact point that I was making about how small the cricket fraternity is and how tight and how close it is. I've said this for forever, I was lucky to play a lot of Ashes cricket and lucky to witness a lot of really good, lighthearted banter from the Barmy Army. I think they are the best group of sporting fans that I've ever seen."

He further added, "They travelled the world supporting their team and are up and about from the first ball of the Test match to the end, whether their team's going well or not. 

“So that was a fantastic gesture from everyone concerned and involved with the Barmy Army. It was awesome."