Cummins finally begins bowling, albeit tentatively as his late rush to prove Ashes fitness continues before Perth.
Cummins makes tentative return to bowling in Ashes fitness race.
As Australia’s Test skipper expedites his desire to participate in the Ashes, Pat Cummins has tentatively returned to bowling.
In a quick net practice on Wednesday in Sydney, Cummins bowled off a five-step run-up. The skipper of Australia will not play in the first Test match against England, which begins on November 21 in Perth.
However, Cummins expects to make a comeback in the middle section of the five-Test series, having stated that he would require four to six weeks of bowling before returning to match action.
On December 4, the second Test will begin in Brisbane, while on December 17, the third Test will begin in Adelaide.
In front of renowned physiotherapist Patrick Farhart and the Blues’ strength and conditioning coach Dean McNamara, Cummins bowled off a brief run-up at Cricket New South Wales’ Silverwater headquarters on Wednesday.
Two days after Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald expressed optimism that Cummins could demonstrate his fitness for the second Test, he made his bowling comeback.
“We flagged this a week or so ago, that it would take sort of four-plus weeks to get him up and running,” McDonald told reporters on Monday. “We’ve run out of time [for the first Test] unfortunately, but really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match.
“The next question is, what’s the time frame, what does it look like for the second Test? [I am] not really going to be able to answer that, other than to say that he’ll be back bowling this week, and that’s a huge step.
“That was the big variable that we wanted to add in and get that information. So we’re on the journey to that second Test and very hopeful that that will be a positive outcome.”