Ahead of the Ashes series against England later this year, Australia skipper and right-arm seamer Pat Cummins provided an update on his fitness, saying that he had no thought about his return at the moment. Still, he wants to be fit in the next four to six weeks and start bowling. Cummins had been battling back soreness since featuring during Australia’s tour of the Caribbean in July, and recent scans confirmed a lumbar bone stress to the affected area, and a period of rest with no running or bowling was diagnosed, as per the ICC.
The Australia skipper knows he will need to prove he is ready for the first Test against England in Perth that commences on November 21, and is hoping he can start bowling again between four and six weeks out from the start of the Ashes.
“I’d imagine (I’d want to be bowling) at minimum a month out, maybe six weeks. But I’ve not thought that deeply about it yet,” Cummins said at a Cricket Australia sponsorship announcement on Wednesday, as quoted by ICC.
“It’s still a bit of a wait and see. We’ve got plenty of time, so we’ll map a way back when we get closer. At the moment, for the next few weeks, it’s pretty light. Not much running and zero bowling,” the fast bowler added.
If Cummins is forced to miss the opening Test, then fellow quick Scott Boland looks his most likely replacement, with the experienced trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon almost certain to feature.
The reigning ICC World Test Championship runners-up also have a group of younger quicks waiting in the wings for their opportunity, and Cummins believes Australia are well stocked in the fast bowler department.
“We feel really well placed. A lot of planning goes in. It’s not just a month before, it’s 12 months out. Someone like Jhye Richardson hopefully he will be available for some of the summer,” Cummins said.
“There’s (Michael) Neser, Brendan Doggett was part of squads last year, Sean Abbott. So I’m really confident in our depth. Obviously there is a bit of (Sheffield) Shield cricket and white-ball cricket before that to make sure everyone is up and raring to go,” the 32-year-old concluded.
