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Pat Cummins Confirms Ashes Return: Why Adelaide Test Marks His Comeback

Australian skipper Pat Cummins is set to make his comeback. He's confident about playing in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide. Cummins explained he was nearly fit for the Brisbane match but didn't want to risk it. His return will be a major boost for the Australian side leading the series.

Key Points: Pat Cummins Confident on Returning for Third Ashes Test in Adelaide

  • Australian captain Pat Cummins confirms his return for the third Ashes Test in Adelaide
  • Cummins reveals he was 'relatively close' to playing in the Brisbane Test
  • The pacer explains the risk of bowling back-to-back days influenced his delayed return
  • Australia leads the five-match Ashes series 1-0 after winning the Perth opener
3 min read

I'll be good to go: Pat Cummins confident on returning during Third Ashes Test in Adelaide

Australian captain Pat Cummins confirms his return for the Adelaide Ashes Test, revealing he was close to playing in Brisbane and detailing his recovery from injury.

"Barring any hiccups, I'll be good to go. Body feels great. - Pat Cummins to Fox Cricket"

Brisbane, December 6

Australian captain Pat Cummins feels confident about returning for the upcoming third Ashes Test in Adelaide. Cummins also revealed how close he was to playing in Brisbane against England.

The 32-year-old Cummins was ruled out of the first two Test matches against Ben Stokes-led England in the ongoing Ashes. The Australian speedster failed to recover on time from his back injury.

After missing out on the first two games in the Ashes, Cummins was spotted bowling at the nets. The right-arm pacer had lengthy nets in Brisbane. Speaking to Fox Cricket during the second session on Day 3 of the Brisbane Test, Cummins confirmed that he would make a return during the third Test in Adelaide Oval, starting December 17.

"First of all, yeah, I should be right for Adelaide. "So, 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 said to Fox Cricket.

Cummins also opened up about how close he was to playing in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane. The pacer replied, "Relatively close, really."

Cummins continued and said, "Body feels great, I'm bowling at 100 per cent. 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. 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 Australian speedster also revealed the deciding factor in not making an earlier return.

"So, we felt that (not doing back-to-back bowls yet) was too risky; we started to kind of game plan (for reduced overs) -- could we try and maybe bowl 20 overs, 25 overs with 'Greeny' in the side as an all-rounder?" Cummins continued.

"We feel like we've got lots of bowling. So, we really tried to map out a way where I could play, but 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. 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," the Australian captain said.

Australia are leading the five-match Ashes Test series 1-0. The hosts won the opening Test in Perth by eight wickets after Travis Head scored a match-winning century while chasing a target of 205 runs against England.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

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Priya S
Respect for Cummins' honesty about the risk assessment. It shows good leadership to think about the team balance and not be selfish. In India, we sometimes rush our star players back from injury. Maybe our team management can learn from this cautious approach.
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Aman W
Back injuries for fast bowlers are no joke. Glad he's taking it slow. As an Indian cricket lover, I enjoy watching Cummins bowl—such a smooth action. Hope he's fully fit for Adelaide, makes for a better contest. England are already struggling!
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Sarah B
Interesting to see the detailed planning about overs and workload. It's a very professional setup. In India, we talk a lot about managing bowlers' workloads in the IPL, but Test cricket is a different beast. This level of transparency is good for fans.
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Vikram M
Good decision by the Aussie think tank. No point risking your captain and best bowler in a series you're already leading. Reminds me of when Bumrah was managed carefully before a big tour. Patient approach wins in the long run. 👍
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Karthik V
While I appreciate the caution, part of me feels they are being overly careful because they are 1-0 up and at home. If this was a must-win match in India or England, would the calculation be the same? Just a thought. Still, his return will spice up the Ashes!

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