Australian captain Pat Cummins faces a race against time to be fit for the inaugural Ashes Test next month with coach Andrew McDonald saying the pace-bowling stalwart would need at least four weeks of training to be in prime shape for the series opener.
A stress injury to the back had sidelined Cummins after Australia’s tour of the West Indies in July. While the pacer has resumed running following scans that showed some improvement, the cricketer and coach are treading cautiously in order not to aggravate the injury again.
"My view would be four, four-and-a-half weeks," McDonald told cricket.com.au when asked how much time the 32-year-old quick would need to bowl to be match-ready for the November 21 Ashes opener at Perth.
"Myself and Patty (Cummins) have spoken about that type of timeframe. Or else you start to bring in other risk factors - a) you're not skill ready, b) soft tissue injuries then become a real risk." "And if you were to do a soft tissue injury early in a series like the Ashes, then it's a long way back from where he's been. So we'll be mindful of all those risk factors." The coach said that a few weeks back the chances of Cummins playing the Perth Test were negligible but after some "variables" were incorporated in his training, he has shown improvement.
"It's a big couple of weeks, we've added some variables into his training in the last couple of weeks and had a positive result there. There's some positive signs speaking to Patty over the last few days. He's a lot more optimistic. Those who have been through this type of injury (say) these things ebb and flow.
"A couple of weeks ago, did he think he was a chance (to play in Perth)? Potentially not, he was a little bit sore. Then you flip it forward two weeks and there's a lot more positivity. We've still got a little bit to go." McDonald said that Cummins was the kind of player who required shorter turnround times to regain match fitness.
"One of the benefits with Patty is that he has had the ability to prepare for Test matches off shortened preparations. So if it was to be shrunken down, we'd be very confident that he would still be able to perform in the first Test.
"But the reality is, we're starting to get tight in terms of the times. We're still optimistic, hopeful, but this time next week, I think we'll be in a position to get better gauge on where he's at," he said.
The England's 'A' side too are scheduled to tour Australia around the Ashes and the coach hinted that Cummins could potentially be a part of a Cricket Australia XI to test his fitness rather than pushing him straight into the Ashes.
"Is it better to get Patty up and moving early in the (Ashes) series, even though he's a little bit underdone, to get into the series, versus potentially finding him a game somewhere else?" McDonald asked.
"All those things we'll weigh up with Pat."
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