In what comes as a major boost for Australia, captain Pat Cummins is expected to regain full fitness before making his maiden appearance in the ICC ODI World Cup as the captain of Australia. Cummins picked up an unfortunate injury on his left wrist following a mistimed dive during the fifth Test of the recently concluded Ashes series in England. He played the remainder of the Oval Test with his fractured wrist. He is required to undergo a six-week rehabilitation and is expected to play some ODIs of the upcoming limited-over tour in South Africa, according to a report by ESPN Cricinfo.
Before going into a five-match ODI series, Australia will play three T20Is against South Africa. Since Pat Cummins will be unavailable, Mitchell Marsh will serve as the captain during the T20I series, which begins on August 30. Not only Cummins, but some other senior players including Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, David Warner, Aston Agar and Mitchell Starc will also miss the T20I leg of the South Africa tour.
Cummins will join the Australian squad ahead of the ODI series. But considering his recovery time, the 30-year-old is unlikely to appear in the first 50-over contest against the Proteas. In Cummins’ absence, Marsh can continue leading the side.
According to Australia’s Chair of Selectors George Bailey, Pat Cummins will get sufficient time to gear up for the ODI World Cup despite missing out on a number of important games. During an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Bailey said that he took Cummins’ injury as a positive since it would be helpful for the pacer’s workload management.
“There are still a number of games he could play before the World Cup which is more than enough for him to have a strong preparation,” Bailey said.
After rounding off the South Africa tour, Australia will jet off to India to begin their final preparation for the ODI World Cup. The five-time champions will play a three-match ODI series against India before appearing in the marquee tournament. The first ODI is slated to be held on September 22.
On August 7, Australia announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming ODIs and the World Cup. Two uncapped players- Tanveer Sangha and Aaron Hardie- have been called up, while star batter Marnus Labuschagne has failed to make the cut. This 18-man squad will be cut short to 15 in September. But there will be scope for any modification till September 28.
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