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Skipper Pat Cummins has revealed how close he could have come to missing the Ashes series before a successful and “aggressive” rehabilitation program helped him get primed for his Test return in Adelaide.
The 32-year-old will don the Australian blazer at Wednesday morning’s toss again after being cleared of a back injury that had sidelined him since the third Test against the West Indies in Kingston in July.
Cummins has been back bowling at full intensity in recent weeks, but Australia erred on the side of caution by leaving him out of the second Test in Brisbane.
After missing the last Ashes Test in Adelaide four years - having been deemed a close COVID-19 contact on the morning of the match - Cummins said he was raring to go.
Day one of the Adelaide Test on Wednesday is exactly seven weeks since Cummins sent down his first delivery in his comeback.
“If I played in Brisbane, I would have probably been on limited overs, but this week it’s go and play like any other Test match,” he said.
“I got asked a million times in the off-season, ‘are you going to play?’ I genuinely didn’t know because as long as everything tracked well, I’d be in this position.”
Pat Cummins address the media in Adelaide on Tuesday ahead of the third Test. Credit: Getty Images
Although news of Cummins’ back issue didn’t emerge until after Australia returned from the West Indies, he said he first felt the problem during the final week in the Caribbean as Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland bowled the hosts out for 27 in Jamaica.
Cummins was advised he may have needed up to four months to build back up, but in consultation with medical staff, settled on what he described as a “pretty aggressive” plan to return inside seven weeks. Had there been any kind of setback after bowling, Cummins said there was every chance he would have been ruled out for the summer.
Pat Cummins inspects the Adelaide Oval pitch on Tuesday. Credit: Getty Images
“The second innings in Jamaica, things were happening pretty quickly, but I was pretty happy to not be bowling there,” Cummins said. “I was feeling a little bit sore. I got an initial scan, which showed something potentially brewing. A lot of these times the next scan can show more. Four weeks later, I had another scan and just looked a bit more serious.
“I haven’t had any hiccups. I’m feeling probably better than I would have thought. The back has healed well and here we are.
“The medical staff are the leading experts in the world. They see more of these injuries than anyone else and I have complete trust in them. That’s the most comforting part.
“We also knew that you have got to tread lightly around some of these injuries, and if there was a flare up or a setback, I wouldn’t have played. We wouldn’t have risked it. Luckily, things have played out pretty well.”
Considering Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are yet to play a Test this series, and Nathan Lyon has sent down just two overs, Australia’s 2-0 lead is a dream scenario for a team eager to retain the Ashes for a fifth consecutive series.
Cummins acknowledged Australia had not played their best cricket but said there was faith within the group that someone would always stand up.
Australia has won six of their past seven Tests against England in Adelaide.
“It’s been fantastic to watch and I think it’s lived up to the hype,” Cummins said. “It’s been captivating every session. I’ve loved it and I am itching to get out there.
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“The boys have been fantastic. Steve [Smith] has led brilliantly, so I feel like I’m coming into a pretty settled side. It couldn’t have gone any better really from our point of view.
“We haven’t been perfect all the time. In Perth, we were far from perfect but a magic session from Trav Head and some [Mitchell] Starc magic [has meant] we’ve found one or two players to drag us out and find us a win.
“I think that’s been the most pleasing thing. It gives you a lot of confidence going into a game when you look around the room and you know someone’s going to help you out, even if you’re not at your best.”
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