Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins will not take part in the T20I series against India and will travel back home after the completion of the 5-ODI series. The selectors have opted to rest him keeping in mind the prestigious Ashes series this year down under. He will fly back after the 5th ODI in Nagpur on September 29.
Cummins will be a crucial foil for Australia in the Ashes and it makes sense for him not to take part in the shortest format of the game. The 24-year-old will feature in the Sheffield Shield season that will start in the last week of October. As of now, no replacement has been announced for the T20I series.
“Pat has played a considerable amount of cricket this year after a long period away from the game due to injury,” national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.
“His body has handled the return to international cricket well, but we believe the best plan for him ahead of the Ashes Series is to return home to refresh, both mentally and physically, before he prepares for Sheffield Shield cricket,” he added.
Cummins is currently taking part in the ODI series against India and the tracks that he is bowling on are vastly different from what will be prepared for the Ashes. The wickets in India are low and slow while those back home will have a lot more pace and bounce.
Prior to the Indian series, he played the 2 Tests in Bangladesh where the pitches were conducive to spin and there was very little assistance for the fast bowlers yet he did a pretty good job in the series.
The Ashes will begin with the first Test in Brisbane on November 23. It’s going to include five exhaustive Test matches and Australians would want a fully-prepared Cummins for the series. After leaving from India, he will a good month and a half to get accustomed to the conditions.
