Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey

Australian chief selector George Bailey provided an update on Pat Cummins’ return status ahead of next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The biennial tournament will take place across eight venues from February 7 to March 8.

Cummins has been dealing with a back stress issue for the past several months. The injury meant that he could participate in only one Test during the recently concluded Ashes series. The Test and ODI captain is named in Australia’s 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, but he won’t travel to Sri Lanka with the rest of the squad ahead of the showpiece event.

Pat Cummins to join Australia squad during T20 World Cup

Instead, Cummins will join the squad after Australia’s second group-stage match (against Zimbabwe) on February 13, Bailey revealed today, according to Cricket.com.au.

The 2021 World Champions are placed alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Ireland, and Oman in Group B, and each of their four matches will take place in the island nation. The first two matches, i.e., vs. Ireland (February 11) and vs. Zimbabwe (February 13), will take place at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, while the other two, vs. Sri Lanka (February 16) and vs. Oman (February 20), will be held in Pallekele.

With the Lankan pitches known to aid slower bowlers, it will allow Australia to ease Cummins into the campaign before they travel to India for the business end of the tournament, should they qualify.

Like Cummins, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is also on a comeback trial, having missed the entire Ashes series due to a hamstring issue and Achilles soreness. He recently resumed training but, like Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, and Nathan Ellis, will not travel to Pakistan for the three-man T20I series that precedes the World Cup, as Australia aims for a cautious approach just as they did in the case of Travis Head during the 2023 World Cup.

“Part of that will certainly be how [Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood] are tracking and looking for the tournament, and if they’re both going well, then it’s just about covering any potential gaps that we may see throughout the tournament,” Bailey said. [H/T: Cricket.com.au]

Australia still have 12 days [January 31] to finalise their World Cup squad. Notably, they are yet to name travelling reserves for the tournament.

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