Pat Cummins' wrist injury to be assessed soon ahead of packed white-ball schedule
Australia captain Pat Cummins sustained an injury to his wrist on the opening day of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. He took the field with heavy strapping and got through the contest which England ended up winning by 49 runs to level the five-match series at 2-2.
Since the injury was to his left wrist, Cummins was able to bowl without much discomfort to claim two wickets in the Test. However, it seemed to be an issue when he had to bat. Despite the injury, he scored a crucial 36 runs in the first innings that helped Australia claim a slender lead.
Following the culmination of the Ashes series, Cummins revealed that he will have his wrist assessed soon.
"I landed on my wrist on day one in the field going for a run-out. It's pretty sore. We'll get it assessed over the next few days and work out if anything needs to happen," he told reporters.
Australia's next international assignment comes in the form of a white-ball tour of South Africa from August 30 onwards. The two teams are scheduled to play three T20Is and five ODIs in the build-up to the ODI World Cup in India later this year.
"Managing that throughout this game was just a proper effort" - Pat Cummins praises Mitchell Starc for bowling with a shoulder injury
The entire Ashes series was a taxing effort for the pacers. Pat Cummins played all matches in the English summer, including the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India.
Mitchell Starc, on the other hand, also played in all matches except the Ashes opener at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The left-arm seamer was adjudged as Australia's player of the series for his 23 wickets, including eight in the series finale.
He had sustained a shoulder injury during the fourth Test but managed to bowl with full intensity at Old Trafford as well as at The Oval.
Cummins praised Starc for his efforts while carrying the injury.
"Mitchell Starc coming off with a sore shoulder in this game was an incredible effort. Managing that throughout this game was just a proper effort," the skipper said.
Cummins also asserted that fatigue did not play a part in the series result, despite him having had to play six Tests in succession.
"No doubt everyone gets more fatigued, [but] I don't think that is a huge factor. [We] didn't get it done. There were key moments we didn't get right," he added.
Australia are yet to announce their new full-time T20I captain since Aaron Finch's retirement. Cummins, being the ODI captain, will lead the Aussies at the 50-over World Cup, which will be followed by their home season.