Australia captain Pat Cummins confident of being fit for Adelaide Test

Cummins has been nursing a mild thigh problem and while he took the field, he did not bowl on Saturday nor Sunday as Australia dismissed the visitors for 333 to win by 164 runs.

Australia captain Pat Cummins looks on during the fifth day of the first Test against the West Indies at Perth Stadium in Perth on December 4, 2022.  | Photo Credit: AFP

Australian skipper Pat Cummins said he was confident Sunday of being fit to play in the second Adelaide Test after failing to turn his arm during the West Indies second innings in Perth.

The pace spearhead has been nursing a mild thigh problem and while he took the field, he did not bowl on Saturday nor Sunday as Australia dismissed the visitors for 333 to win by 164 runs.

In his absence, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood shouldered the fast-bowling workload, along with six-wicket hero Nathan Lyon as Australia prevailed before tea on day five.

There is a short turnaround for the day-night Adelaide Test, which starts on Thursday, but Cummins said he should be okay.

“It’s just a small strain, normally a one-weeker (recovery) and if you bowl you make it worse, but I’ll spend the next few days rehabbing and think it’s a pretty good chance I’ll be good for Adelaide,” he said.

Australia play five Tests this summer, with three against South Africa after the West Indies, then a huge 2023 ahead, with Cummins also conscious that he has a lot of bowling to do.

“It’s definitely part of the thought process the last few days. I don’t really want to turn a one-weeker into a three or four-week injury and potentially miss the summer,” he said.

“We’ll weigh all that up, but I felt pretty comfortable out there.”

Even without Cummins, Australia were too good for the West Indies, with Lyon ending with 6-128 despite the wicket offering little for spinners.

The skipper said he felt the team was improving in being able to close out Tests on day five after several failures to do so in recent years.

“I hope so, the last few instances, in Pakistan (this year) and here, I’ve felt the whole squad has been really composed, not just the bowlers but the fielding group out there,” he said.

“I just feel like we’ve given ourselves the best chance. Feels like we’ve got a really good method. It’s not going to work every time but we’re giving ourselves the best chance.”