Australia Captain Pat Cummins Declares Wrist Recovery Ahead of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup
Australia’s cricket captain, Pat Cummins, has provided a positive update on his wrist injury, stating that his recovery is on track and he expects to be fit for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. Cummins fractured his wrist while batting during the final Ashes Test against England, initially facing up to six weeks on the sidelines before Australia’s first game against India on October 8.
However, Cummins has eased concerns about his fitness by targeting a return to action before the World Cup. He plans to join his teammates in South Africa for their five-match series against the Proteas next month and then participate in the three-game series against India at the end of September.
I’ll head over to South Africa at the back-end of that leg, Cummins confirmed. But we’re probably looking more at those one-dayers (against India) ahead of the World Cup. It shouldn’t be too bad. Another few weeks and it (his wrist) will be right.
As the only team to have announced their squad for the World Cup so far, Australia selected Cummins as captain, assuming he recovers in time. However, it remains unclear who will lead the side during the South Africa series in Cummins’ absence. Chief selector George Bailey suggested that the captaincy might be shared among several players.
Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Alex Carey, and Mitchell Marsh are all potential candidates. Marsh, who was recently named skipper for the T20I portion of the South Africa tour, has received support from Cummins and is seen as a natural leader.
We’ve got a few options (for South Africa), Cummins acknowledged. But (Marsh) is probably the most obvious one if he’s doing the T20s as well. He’s always been a huge member of the team, a real leader.
Australia’s preliminary squad for the World Cup includes Cummins, along with players such as Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc. The final squad of 15 players will be announced by September 28.
With Cummins’ recovery progressing well, Australia can be hopeful of having their captain back in action for the World Cup. In the meantime, the team will carefully consider their options for the South Africa series, with Marsh emerging as a strong contender for the captaincy role. Cricket fans and experts eagerly await further updates on Cummins’ injury and his return to the field.
