"Pretty good chance I’ll be good for Adelaide" - Pat Cummins ahead of second Test against West Indies
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins hopes to play the second Test in Adelaide against the West Indies after failing to bowl on the final day of the first. The right-arm bowler said that he would have bowled if he was required to despite the injury.
Cummins sustained a strain on his quad, preventing him from bowling in the second innings of the first Test in Perth. The 29-year-old was also seen limping on the field on day five at the Optus Stadium.
Pat Cummins is determined not to miss a second successive Adelaide Test but faces a race against time to be fit
@ARamseyCricket | #AUSvWI
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Cummins said that he's happy not to bowl, keeping in mind the second Test that starts on Thursday (December 8). The New South Wales bowler thinks he has a good chance of playing the pink ball Test in Adelaide.
As quoted by cricket.com.au, he said:
"If the match got a bit tighter, I was going to have a bowl, but I’m pretty happy I managed to not bowl to give myself a good chance. It’s just a small strain, so normally about a one-weeker. If you bowl and make it worse, it can make it longer, but I’ll spend the next few days rehabbing, getting it right and think it’s a pretty good chance I’ll be good for Adelaide."
The captain's fitness has become more significant given Australia's busy schedule over the next few months. The No. 1 Test side has three more Tests to play this summer after the second Test against the West Indies, which will be followed by a four-Test tour of India in February.
"I don't really want to turn a one-week injury into a three- or four-week injury" - Pat Cummins
Cummins, who completed 200 Test wickets in Perth, also said that he has managed his injury carefully over the last two days and that his quad already feels better. He added:
"I don’t really want to turn a one-week injury into a three- or four-week injury, and you potentially miss the summer. So we’ll weigh all that up. As I said, I felt pretty comfortable out there. Give it a few days. It already feels pretty good. The physio might be less optimistic, but I think I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll have running and a bit of bowling to make sure I’m right.“
From the Australia camp:
"Pat Cummins is experiencing some mild right sided quadricep soreness. He will continue to be monitored by team medical staff and his availability to bowl in the second innings will be assessed on an ongoing basis" #AUSvWI
The 165-run win, backed up by Nathan Lyon's six-wicket haul, solidified Australia's position atop the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.