Sydney: Australian skipper Pat Cummins is in a race against time to regain full fitness ahead of next month’s Ashes opener, with head coach Andrew McDonald saying the fast bowler will need at least four weeks of training to be ready for the first Test in Perth starting November 21.
Cummins has been out of action since sustaining a stress injury to his back during Australia’s tour of the West Indies in July. Although recent scans have shown improvement and the pacer has resumed running, both player and coach are proceeding cautiously to avoid any setbacks.
“My view would be four, four-and-a-half weeks,” McDonald told cricket.com.au when asked how much preparation the 32-year-old would need to be match-ready.
“Patty and I have talked about that timeframe. Otherwise, you start introducing risk factors — you’re not skill-ready, and soft tissue injuries become a real possibility. If that happens early in an Ashes series, it’s a long road back.”
McDonald admitted that a few weeks ago, Cummins’ chances of featuring in the Perth Test seemed slim, but recent adjustments to his training have shown promising results.
“It’s been a big couple of weeks — we’ve added new variables to his training and got positive results. He’s feeling more optimistic now. These kinds of injuries tend to ebb and flow. A couple of weeks ago, he wasn’t confident, but now there’s a lot more positivity. We’re not there yet, but it’s heading the right way,” he said.
The coach added that Cummins has a proven ability to prepare for Test cricket even with limited lead time.
“One of Pat’s strengths is that he can get ready off a shortened preparation and still perform at a high level. But time is running tight. We’re hopeful, and by this time next week, we should have a clearer idea of where he stands.”
McDonald also hinted that Cummins might feature in a Cricket Australia XI match, possibly against England’s visiting ‘A’ team, to test his match fitness before being thrust into the Ashes.
“Is it better to get him into the series a bit underdone, or give him a hit-out elsewhere first? That’s the balance we’ll have to consider,” the coach said.
