Cummins eyes 'unprecedented' 21-Test year, admits quicks may need rotation

Pat Cummins is optimistic about his fitness for Australia's busiest year of cricket on record, featuring up to 21 Test matches. The captain has returned to competitive play after a back injury sidelined him, and he feels physically prepared to increase his bowling intensity.

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Body feels awesome. I got a scan, all sweet, so now it's the next step up, which is getting ready to bowl 20 overs in a day and wake up and do it again in a Test match.

Cummins is targeting participation in every Test, but acknowledges the demanding schedule makes it unlikely for the primary fast bowlers to stay injury-free. "It'd be very surprising if the same three bowlers played in 21 of the Tests," he stated, indicating that some rotation might be necessary. This acknowledgment comes after backup bowlers successfully filled in during previous injury absences.

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I'm kind of hoping that I play all of them, but I'm sure things will pop up along the way. It'd be very surprising if the same three bowlers played in 21 of the Tests … there might be a little bit of chopping and changing. It's kind of unprecedented.

The captain also indicated that white-ball cricket will take a backseat to prioritize Test matches. He suggested that participation in shorter formats might depend on his recovery between Test games. Cummins also expressed confidence in Josh Hazlewood's potential to return to regular Test cricket, despite recent injury setbacks.

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It's prioritising the Test matches and then, outside of that, there won't be too much. There's some white-ball cricket but I think some of that might be how you pull up from the Test matches.