Cummins provides updates over key members of his squad in the aftermath of the drawn third test in Brisbane.
Cummins provides key updates on certain players of the side ahead of the boxing day test in Melbourne.
Travis Head suffered some discomfort on the last day in Brisbane due to a tight quad, but Australia has adamant that he will be fit to play in the Boxing Day Test against India.
Head didn’t play in India’s quick chase before rain ended the game for the last time, and he seemed a little constrained towards the conclusion of his second innings. At first, there were rumours that it was a groin issue, but a Cricket Australia representative categorically rejected that.
“Trav, he’ll be fine, it’s a bit of a tight quad, he’ll be fine for Melbourne,” captain Pat Cummins said after the match.
At the post-match presentation, Head said, “It’s been a big couple of weeks. But I’ll be fine.”
Josh Hazlewood suffered a calf strain during warm-ups on the third day of the Gabba Test, meaning Australia had already lost one important player. Hazlewood will miss the rest of the series, Cummins said. It is anticipated Scott Boland will play at the MCG.
After a run of success in mid-2023 during which he played ten straight Test matches, Hazlewood will miss more games than he plays this season due to his most recent injury, which occurred during his comeback match from the side strain that prevented him from playing in the second Test in Adelaide.
“It’s really tough,” Cummins said. “It’s been the story, outside of last summer, of the last few summers. The extra layer to that [is] he’s probably one of the most disciplined, professional sportspeople you could meet [with] the way he trains and prepares. When he’s at home he’s in the gym every second day or every day, doing whatever it takes to try and minimise injuries. Think that’s an extra kind of blow. Knowing how much he’s put into his body in the last few years to try and play as many Tests as he can.
“It’s one of those [injuries] you can’t really predict, but we value him. Unfortunately, he’ll miss this series. I don’t know exactly when he’ll be right to go again but even in the little snippets we’ve seen this series it shows how much we rate him and how much of an impact he can have.”