In more bad news for struggling England, Australia captain Pat Cummins stated that he will be “good to go” for the third Ashes Test after missing the first two due to a back injury.
Since developing the problem against the West Indies in the middle of the season, the 32-year-old pace spearhead has not played. He was considered for the second Test in Brisbane, but the selectors decided to be cautious instead.
“First of all, yeah, I should be right for Adelaide,” Cummins said on Fox Sports, referring to the third Test that starts on December 17.
“I’ll have one more bowl (on Sunday), and then we’ll go to Adelaide and have another bowl there. So, barring any hiccups, I’ll be good to go. Body feels great.”
Asked how close he was to playing in Brisbane, Cummins said: “Relatively close, really. We thought it didn’t feel like the right Test match to take that risk, so kick it down the road for a week.”
Josh Hazlewood, another Aussie pacer, missed the first two Test matches, and his news was less promising. Six days prior to the first Test in Perth, he tweaked his hamstring and was back bowling; but, this week he complained Achilles soreness.
Although Cricket Australia told the local media that it was a “low-grade” issue, it raises more questions over his participation in the five-Test series.
Mitchell Starc has spearheaded the assault in the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, claiming 10 wickets in Australia’s devastating eight-wicket victory at Perth and another six in England’s opening innings at Brisbane.
Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett, and Scott Boland have all provided him with excellent support.
