Australian Test and ODI captain, Pat Cummins, has made the decision to take an eight-week break to ensure he is in peak condition for the upcoming five-Test series against India starting in November.
Cummins, a talented fast bowler, recently returned from the USA where he competed in the second season of Major League Cricket (MLC). As a result, he will be rested for the white-ball tour of the United Kingdom next month. The team management is prioritizing the management of his workload in preparation for a demanding home summer schedule.
“Everyone that comes back after a break is a little bit fresher, you never regret it,” Cummins was quoted as saying by Fox Sports.
“I’ve basically been bowling non-stop since the World Test Championship final, nearly 18 months ago. This gives me a good seven or eight weeks completely off bowling so the body can recover, then you start building up again for the summer.
“It means you can hopefully bowl for a little bit longer, maintaining pace is a bit easier, makes you less susceptible to injuries,” he added.
Over the past 12 months, Cummins has been incredibly active despite fracturing his wrist towards the end of the Ashes campaign in England. He participated in various cricket events, including an ODI series against India, the successful ODI World Cup campaign, three Tests against Pakistan, two Tests against the West Indies, a T20 tour of New Zealand, two Tests against New Zealand, the Indian Premier League, the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean, and the MLC tournament.
“I’m very sore today after a week of gym. Hamstrings, even ankles, kind of build up over months of bowling, but you can’t really nail it while you’re in the midst of the season,” the 31-year-old said.
“I’ll be doing lots of gym, some running, a lot of rehab exercise that you just can’t really fit in the middle of the season.”
The upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy will consist of a five-Test series. Australia has been unable to secure the trophy since 2017, as India has emerged victorious in four consecutive series, including their historic triumphs on Australian soil in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Captain Cummins is determined to lead his team to victory and lift the trophy this summer.
“It’s the trophy I haven’t won before… this is the one trophy a lot of our group haven’t ticked off,” Cummins said.
“We’ve achieved some amazing things over the last few years as a Test group. You kind of back yourself to win every series at home. I think you need to try and be up there in the upper echelon of teams.
“That’s what lies ahead of us this summer. They’re (India) a really good side. We play them quite a lot, we know them really well, but we feel like we’re really well placed also,” he added.
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