Pat Cummins eyes IPL and World Test Championship final return
What's the story
Australian Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has started bowling again after recovering from an ankle injury.
The cricketer is preparing for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in March and the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa in June.
He was also ruled out of the ongoing Champions Trophy due to an injury sustained during the Test series against India.
"The ankle is all going strong. It's feeling as strong," he told ESPNcricinfo in a recent conversation.
Recovery progress
Cummins optimistic about his recovery
As mentioned, Cummins sounded optimistic about his recovery in a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo.
"Have been able to give it a good rest and then been building up slowly, which you don't get to do when you play lots of cricket," he said.
"So have a few weeks of bowling, building back up and then hopefully don't have to worry about it for a while," he added.
Meanwhile, this optimism from the pacer is good news for all.
Upcoming matches
Cummins's future plans and injury management
Cummins is positive about ramping up his workload during the IPL and aims to play a full part in the three-Test series against West Indies following the WTC final.
However, he may sit out some of Australia's white-ball matches as part of his recovery process.
These include five T20Is in the West Indies and series against South Africa, New Zealand, and India before the highly anticipated Ashes series against England starting in late November.
Player management
Cummins's views on player management and performance
Cummins also shared his views on player management, saying "Sometimes by missing the odd tour, you actually end up playing more cricket for the whole year."
"I think in the past you used to play everything, whereas now, you try and make sure the players are at their peak for as long as you can for the year," he noted.
This approach is now widely accepted in cricket.
Team performance
Cummins praises Australia's young pace attack
Despite the lack of experience with players like Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood missing in Pakistan, Australia's young pace attack has been promising.
Ben Dwarshuis claimed three wickets against England, while Nathan Ellis delivered an impressive spell, conceding just 51 runs in his 10 overs during a high-scoring match.
Cummins lauded Ellis's versatility, stating, "[Nathan] has always been so valuable. He doesn't necessarily need to take the new ball to have a big impact."
Squad
Australia's squad for the ongoing tournament
Australia: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.
Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.
Stats
Cummins owns 143 ODI scalps
The Aussie pacer has bagged 143 scalps across 90 ODIs.
Meanwhile, he averages 28.78 and owns an economy rate of 5.27. Cummins also boasts one five-wicket haul and six four-wicket hauls in 90 innings.
According to ESPNcricinfo, his best ODI figures are worth 5/710, which he managed against India in 2019.
Additionally, he has picked up two wickets in the Champions Trophy, in three innings at an average of 72.
Match recap
Australia won their Champions Trophy opener versus England
Australia scripted history after beating England in the Champions Trophy at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
The Men in Yellow chased down 352, now the highest successful run-chase in Champions Trophy history.
Ton-up Josh Inglis and Alex Carey powered the Aussies after they were down to 136/4.
Earlier, Ben Duckett's record-breaking 165 propelled England to their highest-ever total in the 50-over tournament.
For England, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, and Brydon Carse returned with one wicket each.