New Delhi. Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins has been allowed to bowl without any restrictions after the latest scan conducted in Sydney, paving the way for his return to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
A scan on Wednesday confirmed that the stress injury to his back, which had limited him to just one professional match since August last year, had fully recovered.
The Australian fast bowler will now return to India on Friday and join Sunrisers Hyderabad for the remaining IPL matches, where he will play alongside his Australian teammate Travis Head.
Although Sunrisers will play home matches against Chennai Super Kings this weekend and Delhi Capitals next Wednesday, Cummins does not want to make a hasty comeback. He is aiming to return to the playing eleven in the match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on April 25.
As soon as Cummins returns to the team, the captaincy is also likely to be back in his hands. In his absence, Ishan Kishan was commanding the team. At present the team is at fourth position in the points table with two wins.
Cummins’ return is in accordance with his plan, in which he wanted to take part in the second phase of the tournament and possible playoff matches. This will then begin a busy Test cricket schedule for Australia, with approximately 21 Test matches to be played over the next 12 months.
Recently Cummins has reiterated his desire to play in all three formats. He said that he will give priority to important series as Test and ODI captain and will also take a break of two to three months to keep himself fit.
“I still want to play all three formats and I think we can balance it. I love Test cricket very much. Hopefully I can keep playing like this for the next 3-5 years and don’t have to give up Test cricket,” he said in the ‘Business of Sport’ podcast.
Australia’s Test schedule will begin in August with a two-match series against Bangladesh, which will be played in Darwin and Mackay. After this, the team will play three Tests in South Africa, four Tests against New Zealand at home, and then five Tests on the India tour in January-February next year. The Ashes series will be followed by a five-Test Ashes series, including the 150th Anniversary Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March and a possible World Test Championship final at Lord’s in June.
Fulfilling his IPL contract worth around AUD 4 million is also an important part of Cummins’ schedule. Team coach Daniel Vettori has described his fitness as “excellent”.
Vettori said, “His fitness has been excellent because he was away from the field for a long time and during this time he has worked a lot on his strength and conditioning. Preparing yourself completely for bowling is a long and hard process.”
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