Australian cricket captain Pat Cummins, currently recovering from a lower back injury, remains optimistic about making an impact in the upcoming Ashes series despite not being cleared to resume bowling, according to teammate Mitchell Starc. While Cummins is set to miss the series opener in Perth on November 21, he has been maintaining his core fitness and attending recent training sessions in Sydney.Cummins’ absence from the Perth Test could see Scott Boland stepping in as his replacement, joining the experienced bowling lineup of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon.“He’s pretty level. He’s been floating around a little bit. Pat is still in his program and has obviously got a few sets of eyes on him in his return. He’s in good spirits. He’s ultra positive as always. There’s still some weeks to go before we get to Perth for the Test prep. We’ll see where that lands. Hopefully, we’ll see a lot of him through the summer and we’ll see what we can do,” Starc told Fox Cricket.Starc expressed confidence in Cummins’ ability to quickly regain his form, highlighting his captain’s unique preparation style.
Poll
Who do you think will perform the best in the absence of Pat Cummins?
“Playing with Pat and being close with Pat, he doesn’t need much. Whether he bowls three warm-up balls and the first over of the game, he’s on the money; he just knows when to switch on or how to switch on really quickly. So what it looks like for him in his prep, it’s going to be certainly different to what mine feels and looks like, and that comes with experience and age,” he said.Starc also discussed the varying preparation methods among the Australian bowling unit.“Having spent so much time with Josh [Hazlewood] and Pat and myself and Scotty (Boland), we all prepare slightly differently. We all feel like we need different things. I feel like at times I need to bowl more around preparation stuff, whether it be training or after layoffs,” Starc added.
