Cummins continues to ramp up for Test return

Aussie skipper Pat Cummins is set to return for the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, reports Code Sports.

Cummins missed the first Test victory in Perth as he continued to rehab and build-up from the back stress injury that he suffered in the Caribbean during the West Indies series in July.

While it was initially feared that Cummins could miss the entire series, he’s now set to be added to Australia’s squad for the second Test as he pushes for place in the starting XI.

SEN Cricket’s Simon Katich thinks Australia have done everything right with Cummins’ return to play after he picked up his bowling loads in the nets during the first Test win.

“He was really positive about how everything was tracking when he was training with the group in Perth,” Katich said on SEN Breakfast.

“There was speculation that he was almost ready to go in Perth. So, I think they've done the right thing in giving him that extra time.

“Obviously, it's turned into an extra week or two, given the way the schedule is between Perth and Brisbane.

“They know what's been happening within that camp and trust that Pat Cummins has done all the work necessary to be right to go.”

Cummins' likely inclusion comes after he was spotted training with a pink ball in Sydney on Tuesday.

Given the Gabba Test is a day/night fixture, Code Sports' Daniel Cherny felt it was a positive sign which has now come to fruition ahead of the squad announcement.

“I think it means he's a very good chance. I wouldn't lock him in for sure, though,” Cherny told SEN Breakfast on Wednesday.

“I think they will leave it until relatively late, but it's clearly a promising sign. 

“It’s been a really great fight back. I think there were legitimate fears that he would miss much of the summer.

“Certainly the first Test is still a fair blow, but obviously Australia's managed to get through that, and now he is pushing for that second Test. 

“But as Andrew McDonald said on Monday, I think they are going to leave it relatively late. 

“I think there is still an element of risk there just because he hasn't had the full build-up. It's probably not so much the back, it's sort of the other soft tissue stuff that can come without having an ideal preparation, which you couldn't say it has been.

“I was in Perth and saw him in the nets last week, and he looked very good, and that’s certainly what his teammates were saying as well.

“The pink ball's a fair sign that they're giving it serious thought.”

Bowling with Cummins at Cricket NSW headquarters was fellow injured quick Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood is returning from a hamstring injury, which also cost him a first Test berth, and while it was also feared he could miss the entire series, his return to bowling was also a great sign for the home side.

Unlike Cummins, Hazlewood was training with red balls, potentially proving that he’s hoping to return for the Adelaide Test which is three weeks away. 

“By all reports, it's just good to see him bowling at all,” Cherny said.

“He's a bit further back in terms of building back for the series. But again, last week there was talk about him potentially being ruled out of the series, but McDonald flatly rejected that on Monday.

“The fact that Hazlewood's back bowling is a fair sign that he is building, and clearly, while the Test series these days are relatively rapid, we’ve still got five or six weeks for him to play a part in the series.

“He's no chance for Brisbane, but I think Adelaide's not beyond the realms of possibility. Boxing Day’s a month away, and then there’s Sydney after that.

“So, I think there's certainly scope for him to play a role in the series, but we are probably talking towards the back end.”

The second Test between Australia and England at the Gabba begins on Thursday, December 4. Listen to every ball LIVE on SEN - your home of cricket.