Tests over T20 World Cup: Pat Cummins lifts lid on withdrawal, hopeful of leading SRH in IPL

NEW DELHI: Australia pace spearhead Pat Cummins has revealed that his injury-enforced withdrawal from the upcoming T20 World Cup was as much about long-term planning as it was about his immediate fitness, with the fast bowler prioritising a demanding Test calendar over a rushed return to the shortest format.

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Cummins, Australia’s Test and ODI captain, was ruled out of the T20 World Cup after failing to recover in time from a back injury and has been replaced in the squad by Ben Dwarshuis. The 32-year-old has been managing the issue since Australia’s tour of the West Indies last July and said a follow-up scan ultimately forced his hand.




“It was really unfortunate. I feel pretty good, just a minor setback and just ran out of time really,” Cummins was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press. “I’ll rest up for a few weeks and go from there.”

Cummins explained that initial estimates suggested he could be fit within four weeks after the Adelaide Test, but medical advice later indicated a longer recovery window was needed. “We knew after the Test match we were going to need somewhere between four and eight weeks to let the bone settle right down,” he said. “They thought it probably needs another couple of weeks, so the timeline just became a bit too tight.”

With Australia facing a packed Test schedule — including home series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, a tour of South Africa, a five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India, the Ashes, and a potential World Test Championship final — Cummins said caution was essential. “We thought the first half of the year was a pretty good time to be conservative with the amount of cricket that’s coming up,” he said. “Get it right now and hopefully you can just go out and play all those Test matches.”

Cummins remains hopeful of returning in time to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL from March 26, adding that his comeback will be guided by further scans. Despite Australia’s 0-3 whitewash in Pakistan, he backed the squad for the World Cup. “Morale is good… they know how big it is, and they’re desperate to get into it,” he said.


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