Pat Cummins is eager to contribute significantly to Australia’s extensive red-ball schedule, which includes 21 Tests over the next 12 to 14 months.
Cummins participated in eight matches during IPL 2026 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This marked his first competitive event after recovering from an injury that kept him out of Australia’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaign.
The Australian captain has recovered well from his bowling during the IPL and is focused on gradually increasing his workload to prepare for the demands of Test Cricket.
“My body feels great,” Cummins said, as reported by ESPNcricinfo at a media event for Amazon Prime’s coverage of the women’s Twenty20 World Cup.
“I had a scan, everything looks good, so the next step is getting ready to bowl 20 overs in a day and then do it again in a Test match.”
Australia’s tough red-ball schedule kicks off with a two-Test series at home in August.
Cummins believes that he, along with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, would want to play in all the red-ball matches, though that might not be feasible.
“Fortunately, I haven’t played much in the past year, so I’m coming in as fit as I can be,” Cummins remarked. “I hope to play all of them, but I’m aware that issues may arise along the way. It would be surprising if the same three bowlers played all 21 Tests. There may be some rotations.”
Cummins emphasized that his main focus is on the upcoming red-ball matches, and his involvement in white-ball cricket will depend on his fitness.
“Test matches are the priority, and beyond that, I won’t be playing too much,” Cummins added. “There is some white-ball cricket, but it will likely depend on how I recover from the Test matches.”
Australia has additional pace bowlers, including Michael Neser, Scott Boland, Brendan Doggett, and Jhye Richardson, who are available to step in as needed when the main bowlers require rest.