In a significant boost for the Australian cricket team, captain Pat Cummins has confirmed his imminent return to the side for the crucial third Ashes Test against England. Cummins, who missed the first two matches due to a back injury, stated he is on track to lead his team at the Adelaide Oval starting December 17.
Captain Confident of Adelaide Comeback
Speaking to Fox Cricket during the third day of the second Test at Brisbane's Gabba, the 32-year-old fast bowler expressed strong confidence in his fitness. "First of all, yeah, I should be right for Adelaide," Cummins declared. He outlined his final preparation steps, saying, "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."
Cummins revealed he was "relatively close" to being selected for the ongoing Brisbane Test. He has been bowling extended spells in the nets and feels his body is at 100 per cent. However, the nature of his bone injury required a cautious approach.
Why Cummins Missed the Brisbane Test
The deciding factor for his continued absence was the inability to test his body with back-to-back bowling sessions, a critical requirement in a demanding five-day Test match. "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," Cummins explained. "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."
The team management, along with Cummins, even explored creative scenarios to facilitate his return in Brisbane. They considered a plan where he might bowl a reduced workload of 20-25 overs, leveraging all-rounder Cameron Green's presence. "We felt that (not doing back-to-back bowls yet) was too risky," he admitted.
A Strategic Decision for the Team
Ultimately, the potential risk and the complexity of managing his overs led to a prudent decision. "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," Cummins stated. "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."
His return in Adelaide will be a major morale booster for Australia, who already lead the five-match series 1-0. They secured a commanding eight-wicket victory in the first Test in Perth, powered by a century from Travis Head during the chase of 205 runs. With Cummins back at the helm and with the ball, Australia will aim to tighten their grip on the coveted Ashes urn.
