Pat Cummins is optimistic about his ability to participate in Australia’s most demanding 12-month schedule on record, though he admits it would be “very surprising” if the nation’s top three fast bowlers could all feature in every match.
The Test and ODI captain has returned in strong form following his IPL stint, marking his first competitive appearances in four months after a back injury limited his involvement in the Ashes.
“Body feels awesome,” Cummins stated during a media event for Amazon Prime’s coverage of the women’s Twenty20 World Cup. “I got a scan, all sweet, so now it’s the next step up, which is getting ready to bowl 20 overs in a day and wake up and do it again in a Test match.”
Throughout June and July, Cummins will gradually increase his bowling workload to prepare for a year that could see up to 21 Test matches. The intensive period commences with two home fixtures against Bangladesh in August.
By next August, the squad will have traveled to South Africa for their first visit since the 2018 ball-tampering controversy, embarked on a critical tour of India, and fought to defend the Ashes in England. Their schedule also includes a home series against New Zealand, the 150th anniversary Test at the MCG, and a potential World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
While Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood typically aim to play every Test during a home summer, Cummins noted that the scale of this upcoming cycle might necessitate a different approach.
“The lucky thing is I haven’t played much in the last year or so, so I’m actually coming in physically as good as I possibly could be,” Cummins explained. “I’m hoping that I play all of them, but I’m sure things will pop up along the way. It’d be very surprising if the same three bowlers played in 21 of the Tests… there might be a little bit of chopping and changing. It’s kind of unprecedented.”
During the 4-1 Ashes victory last summer, backup pacers Scott Boland, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, and Brendan Doggett stepped in when injuries hampered Hazlewood and Cummins.
To achieve his goal of prioritizing the Test arena, Cummins acknowledged that white-ball cricket will take a lower priority, making a BBL appearance this summer unlikely. “It’s prioritising the Test matches and then outside of that, there won’t be too much,” he said. “There’s some white-ball cricket, but I think some of that might be how you pull up from the Test matches.”
Cummins also expressed confidence that Josh Hazlewood remains a viable option for regular Test cricket despite hamstring and Achilles tendon injuries that sidelined him for the entire Ashes series.
Although the 35-year-old has appeared in only 10 of Australia’s last 20 Tests, Cummins was encouraged by Hazlewood’s role in helping Royal Challengers Bengaluru secure last month’s IPL title.
“Bowling seems a funny one; you can get on a bit of a roll and play a lot,” Cummins remarked. “The hardest thing for someone like Josh is actually getting up and going again. He’s had a few little niggles as he’s been building back up, so it’s been great to see him play a lot of cricket.”