The experienced pace duo of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are set to be included in Australia’s provisional squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite injury concerns.
Scan for Pat Cummins
Head coach Andrew McDonald stated that Cummins will undergo another scan of his back in four weeks. A final decision regarding his availability for the tournament, which commences on February 7, will be made after the assessment results. “Pat will have a scan, I think in another four weeks, so that’ll give us the information then on where he’s at for the World Cup. He’ll be named in the squad of 15, and then we’ll get that information as to where he’s at,” McDonald shared.
Cummins has played just one international match since suffering a lumbar stress injury in July. He pushed the limits of his rehabilitation from this back injury to return for the third Test in Adelaide, where he took six wickets as Australia won by 82 runs, retaining the Ashes urn. Subsequently, he withdrew from the remaining series as Australia was unwilling to take further risks.
Josh Hazlewood’s Fitness
Hazlewood, who missed the entire Ashes series due to hamstring and Achilles injuries affecting the 34-year-old pacer, is likely to be fit. Before his injury, he excelled in the white-ball series against India and is expected to return in time for the T20 World Cup, providing a major boost to Australia. “Josh is returning to bowl. He looks as though he should be right in terms of possible timeframes,” McDonald noted.
Tim David’s Injury Concerns
Another concern for Australia is hard-hitting middle-order batter Tim David, who recently injured his hamstring while playing for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL. David had previously been ruled out for two months earlier this year due to a similar injury, but McDonald believes the 29-year-old will be fit for the marquee 20-over tournament. “Not sure whether it’s just pure muscle or tendon, and that’ll give us a timeframe. I think the timeframe will be kind on TD (Tim David) as well. So he should be available no matter what that injury is,” McDonald added.
Australia will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on February 11. As part of their preparations, they will play a three-match T20I series in Pakistan in January.