Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins opened up about his comeback to international cricket during the second Test of the Ashes 2025-26 series against England. Cummins also revealed the reason behind his absence from the ongoing Test in Brisbane, saying the team had taken the precautionary measure.
The right-arm pacer missed the first two Test matches of the Ashes due to a back injury he suffered during the West Indies tour in July. Cummins was excluded from the opening Test. However, he was considered a possible option for the second Test at the Gabba after bowling pain-free into the nets in Perth.
The Australian selectors decided not to rush him back and opted to wait longer for his recovery. Cummins has remained with the team in Brisbane and has continued his training as he works towards his return to the squad.
I should be right for Adelaide – Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins revealed he is targeting a comeback in the third Test in Adelaide. He is expected to be available unless something unexpected happens prior to the match, which starts on December 17.
During commentary, Cummins said he will have a few more bowling sessions before the team reaches Adelaide. He added that as long as there are no setbacks, he will be ready to play.
“I should be right for Adelaide,” Cummins told Fox Cricket.
“Tomorrow I’ll have another bowl and then we’ll go to Adelaide and have another bowl there. Other than the hiccups I’m good to go. The body feels great,” he added.
I haven’t done back-to-back bowls – Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins said he was quite close to returning to the Brisbane Test. He said he has not yet tested himself with back-to-back bowling sessions, which is an important requirement before taking part in a Test match.
“I’m bowling at 100 per cent. The big question mark about coming back from a bone injury is that we tend to have a bowl, have a few days off, recover, bowl, bowl. I haven’t done back-to-back bowls,” Cummins added.
“One of the risky things about a Test match is that you are expected to bowl two days in a row, maybe three days in a row, and possibly quite a few overs,” he continued.
We thought that was too risky – Pat Cummins
The 32-year-old said the team discussed several options, including limiting his workload to around 20-25 overs. However, Cummins felt that the plan was still uncertain and would not have been fair to the rest of the attack or to himself as captain.
“So we thought that was too risky. We started to make a bit of a game plan; could we try to bowl maybe 20 overs, 25 overs? With Greeny [Cameron Green] as an all-rounder we feel we bowl a lot,” Cummins said.
“We tried to map out a way for me to play, but in the end it felt a bit too cutesy and didn’t really feel fair to the other bowlers, or even to myself as captain… It didn’t feel like the right Test match to take that risk, so we’ll put it aside a week later.”
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