Confidence increases in Cummins’ availability for the Ashes as Bailey played down concerns over Cameron Green’s fitness.
Confidence growing that Cummins will play ‘major part’ in Ashes.
There is growing optimism among Australia’s selectors that skipper Pat Cummins will “play a major part” in the Ashes but there is still no decision on his availability with less than five weeks to go before the opening day of the series.
After Cameron Green was ruled out of the ODI series against India due to “conservative” management of his side soreness, selectors chair George Bailey was also very confident that he would be fully fit and available as an all-rounder for the first Test. He also confirmed that Beau Webster was guaranteed a spot in the first Test squad following equally cautious management of his rolled ankle.
Despite coach Andrew McDonald’s suggestion late last week that a decision regarding Cummins’ health for the first Test would be taken on Friday, there was no update on the captain’s development. Then, on Monday, Cummins stated that he would require at least four weeks of bowling to be ready and that he was “less likely than likely” to be fit for Perth.
Although Bailey was unable to confirm if Cummins had begun bowling, he did mention that his training development over the previous week had shown encouraging signals.
“I actually have no further update on that from when I think the last time Pat spoke,” Bailey told reporters in Perth on Saturday. “It’s progressing. He’s building up. He’s optimistic about it. I think actually the more he’s done over the last few days, the more optimistic he’s become but I categorically don’t know if he’s bowled a ball.
“We know time is getting short and there’s permutations around that, not just around the back, but other factors as well. It’s positive. [We’re] really confident that he’s going to play a major part. Hopefully it’s the first Test. If not, then we’ll pick it up.”
Bailey stated that scans had ruled out Green’s injury and allayed fears regarding his eligibility to play as an all-rounder in the first Test match after he withdrew from the ODI team due to side pain.
“It is minor and it’s conservative, and I think this decision probably ensures that we do have enough time to make sure,” Bailey said. “We put so much time and energy into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an allrounder. So for the sake of, he was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway, the way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively.
He’ll keep his plan of playing Shield [round] three and Shield four. I’m not across what overs there will be in that, but the plan will remain, and that should provide pretty good time that he’d in a good place to be ready to bowl.”