Cummins to Miss T20 WC Opener; Hazlewood, David on Track, Says Bailey

However, he also said that Cummins would be missing his side's opening match in the marquee tournament.

Cummins, who came after a long back injury layoff during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide and took six wickets in the series-sealing match, did not feature for four of five Ashes Tests, opting to miss the latter part of the series in order to keep his legs fresh for the T20 World Cup, even though he looked in excellent shape and form at Adelaide. Hazlewood missed the entirety of the marquee series, having hurt his right hamstring in November during Sheffield Shield action, while David's hamstring strain, the most recent injury concern, cut short his Big Bash League (BBL) stint with Hobart Hurricanes.

Australia is part of Group B, alongside Ireland, Sri Lanka, Oman and Zimbabwe, making up one of the most exciting groups in the competition, and will start off against Ireland in Colombo on February 11, followed by a clash against Zimbabwe on February 13, which could see Cummins play.

The star trio was not included in the 17-man squad for the tour of Pakistan before the World Cup, which will give the Aussies some valuable game time. David, along with rested Nathan Ellis and Glenn Maxwell, will be joining the team ahead of the campaign opener on February 11. Ellis and Maxwell, part of the final four Big Bash League (BBL) teams, Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars, respectively, are in for a hectic few days, with the pair set to square off in a knockout match on Wednesday, with the winning team once again playing on Friday.

"Like nearly every tournament that we head to, particularly when it is a really busy time of the year, it is very much working with the individuals around making sure they get the best preparation they can to make sure when they do join that World Cup squad, they are ready to perform," Bailey said as quoted by cricket.com.au.

Bailey confirmed that David faced a "very minor setback" in his rehab last week, which did not allow him complete a full running session.

"But he has since been cleared of any damage," Bailey said. "It was just on the back of a heavy week, so he is still tracking for the start of the tournament; Josh (Hazlewood) is in the same boat," he added.

Australia plan to have Cummins make a Travis Head-like entry in the tournament. Head was included in the ICC Cricket World Cup squad despite a broken hand back in 2023, but played his side's final six matches, including the semis and final, scoring 329 runs, including an iconic 137 at Ahmedabad against a dominant Indian to crush the hosts' dream of capturing the gold.

With Sri Lankan pitches being spin-friendly, it has given Cummins' body some more time to recover and get itself right. Aussies will play all their four group stage matches in Sri Lanka (two each in Colombo and Kandy) before they move to India for the 'Super Eight' stage. Fringe pacers Ben Dwarshuis and Sean Abbott, part of the Aussie T20 set-up since last year or so and a part of the squad for the series against Pakistan, will be getting chances if Cummins and Hazlewood face troubles.

Australia have the deadline of January 31 to finalise their squad, as they have yet to name any travelling reserve players for the tournament.

"Part of that will certainly be how (Hazlewood and Cummins) are tracking and looking for the tournament, and if they are both going well, then it will be just about covering any potential gaps that we may see throughout the tournament," Bailey said.

Australia squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa

First T20I: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 12 am AEDT January 30 (6 pm PKT, Jan 29)

Second T20I: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 12 am AEDT February 1 (6 pm PKT, Jan 31)

Third T20I: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 12 am AEDT February 2 (6 pm PKT, Feb 1).

- ANI