Australia captain Pat Cummins is on course to make his comeback in the Adelaide Test of the Ashes after missing the opening two matches of the series. The fast bowler has been recovering from a back injury and was close to returning for the ongoing pink ball Test in Brisbane before team management and selectors opted to delay his comeback. Cummins last featured in a Test match during Australia’s tour of the West Indies in July this year. The decision to rest him for the initial part of the Ashes has been taken with a long term view, despite the pacer feeling confident about his fitness.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Cummins said, “First of all, yeah, I should be right for Adelaide. So, I’ll have one more bowl tomorrow (Sunday), and then we’ll go to Adelaide and have another bowl there. So, barring any hiccups, I’ll be good to go. Body feels great.”
Reflecting on his absence from the ongoing Brisbane Test, Cummins admitted that a return was close. “Relatively close, really,” he said.
He went on to explain the cautious approach taken by the team considering the nature of his injury. “Body feels great, I’m bowling at 100 per cent. The big question mark when coming back from a bone injury is we tend to have a bowl and have a couple of days off, recover, bowl, bowl. I haven’t done back-to-back bowls, so one of the high-risk things going into a Test match is you’re going to be expected to bowl two days in a row, maybe three days in a row, and potentially quite a few overs,” Cummins continued.
Did Not Feel Right
The Australian captain also revealed that playing him in the second Test did not feel like the right call, as it could have unsettled the bowling unit that had prepared for the opening stages of the series.
Explaining the reasoning behind the decision, Cummins said, “So, we felt that was too risky; we started to kind of game plan. Could we try and maybe bowl 20 overs, 25 overs with ‘Greeny’ [Cameron Green] in the side as an all-rounder?”
He further added that Australia already has considerable depth in its bowling attack, making it unnecessary to rush him back. “We feel like we’ve got lots of bowling. So, we really tried to map out a way where I could play, but it just felt a little bit too cute in the end. And it didn’t really feel fair on the other bowlers, or even on myself as a captain. If I had to have a bowler that I was bowling and trying to work out which overs, it didn’t quite feel right it didn’t feel like the right Test match to take that risk,” Cummins said.
Cummins boasts an impressive Test record, having picked up 309 wickets in 71 matches for Australia. His performances at the Adelaide Oval have been especially strong, where he averages 21.19 with the ball. With fitness improving and no further setbacks, the fast bowler is now firmly on track to return for the crucial Adelaide Test against England.
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