Pat Cummins almost made an unexpected return at Brisbane this week, only for Australia’s selectors to decide the gamble was not worth the potential cost. Speaking at the Gabba, chair of selectors George Bailey explained the quick-bowler’s recovery had progressed far faster than forecast, yet the medical team still saw red flags.
“We weren’t playing silly buggers with him not being in the squad and in the mix. But I think once we got up here, saw his training, got as much of the background medical information as well, it became a live possibility,” Bailey said.
That “live possibility” lasted through to Wednesday’s main training session, when Cummins delivered two strong spells on successive days – the first time he had bowled back-to-back since the side strain flared in Perth. A light-hearted hug between Cummins and head coach Andrew McDonald during the pitch inspection fuelled speculation, though Bailey insisted it was merely “for laughs”.
Selecting him, Bailey continued, would have meant strict limits on his workload. “Then it was just working through the permutations of what would that look like in terms of the amount of overs, what would it look like going forward from that as well.”
Risk management tipped the scales. “I don’t think we thought he was going to be as close, it really changed through the week. Then risk tolerance became the conversation around what could he take on. Yes, he could have played. There would have been some restrictions around the overs and then obviously just the permutations [around that].”
In short, Cummins can bowl flat-out in nets where breaks are controlled; a Test match offers no such certainty. As Bailey put it, “Being in a really controlled environment [in] the nets where you can be really structured around the breaks and how you want it, then it’s just that risk of maybe going into a game.”
Selectors now expect Cummins to be fully ready for the day-night Test in Adelaide, where the extra recovery time between spells should suit a returning quick better than the back-to-back demands of Brisbane and Perth.
Khawaja’s back rules him out – Head stays at the top
The panel never formally discussed whether Usman Khawaja would reclaim his opening spot at the Gabba because, in Bailey’s words, “He hadn’t got his back back to baseline.” The left-hander batted on Tuesday but was ruled out 24 hours later and only returned to nets on Thursday.
“And if you’re not back to the starting point then it’s obviously a heightened risk. There’s obviously your own performance, but when you’re injured and you feel like you’ve let the team down, I think that was something he was just conscious of; if it happened again, it would be an awful feeling. So sitting this one out buys time,” Bailey added.
Travis Head, fresh from a match-winning 123 in Perth, will therefore continue as makeshift opener. Although the move worked first up, the selectors have not locked it in beyond this match and have even floated in-game flexibility should conditions demand.
What next?
Australia head south knowing a refreshed Cummins is pencilled in for Adelaide. With Khawaja also tracking well, the selectors could have a tougher – but healthier – debate next week.
