Australian spearhead Pat Cummins has declared on Tuesday (October 23) himself match fit for the international comeback after being out of action for more than six months with a back injury, saying he can’t wait to again play for his country.
Cummins along with Josh Hazlewood, who is also recovering from a back injury, is on a comeback trail as the duo are preparing for a return to international action while playing for ACT/NSW Country in a four-day Toyota Futures League here and even the two are likely to return in national colors next month.
The 25-year-old further went on to claim that he is now enough fit for the national selection for the home limited-overs series against South Africa, starting with the first ODI in Perth on November 4.
Cummins told media, “I'll be right and up for selection for the ODIs, so fingers crossed straight over there and back into it. I felt pretty good, bowled some quick balls and quick over. But for me, the run-up speed and tempo is really important, and trying to go from the nets to a big game can be quite tough to find that. This is a good middle ground where it's good competition, you can bowl 100 percent and I feel like I am at the moment. The body feels great... you've got to bowl a lot of overs before Test matches. So this means we can get a few overs, play the ODIs and then get into the Tests as well.”
The pacer further explained, “It feels really good at the moment. The good thing about coming back gradually is that you can build things up slowly and work on your action and rhythm before you're in a high-pressure situation. Especially in these games, it felt great. I can concentrate on trying to bowl well and not worry about too much else. I'm really happy with how the last few months and can't wait to start playing for Australia soon.”
Australia will host India for a full home series followed by two Tests against Sri Lanka following the South Africa series and Cummins is looking forward to playing cricket after completely recovering from the injury.
Cummins signed off by saying, “I can see the light (at the end of the tunnel). The good thing is we knew if we got the injury recovered properly, there's so much cricket coming up. That helped Josh and I be a bit patient rather than times like in the past trying to rush for selection on certain tours. It's a shame to miss the games in Dubai, but there's so much more cricket coming up.”
(Input: Sydney Morning Herald)
