Australia selector George Bailey revealed that Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood remain on track for the T20 World Cup.
Australia selector George Bailey has provided a positive update on the fitness prospects of key fast bowlers ahead of the T20 World Cup. He indicated that Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are unlikely to feature in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan. However, both remain on track for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Australia plans to manage Cummins carefully through the tournament. The approach follows a similar strategy used with Travis Head during the 2023 World Cup.
Cummins, Hazlewood, and Tim David are part of Australia’s provisional squad, pending fitness clearance. Hazlewood continues recovery from an Achilles issue. Cummins has been rested since the Adelaide Test due to a lumbar stress injury.
“I don’t think they [Cummins and Hazlewood] will be available for the Pakistan series [three T20Is in January], but I think both should be online [for the World Cup],” Bailey said while speaking to the media.
“Patty might be a bit later; that might be a similar sort of situation to Travis Head in the 50-over World Cup, where there is an entry point at some point. Hopefully, we can manage and carry a squad until that point,” he added.
George Bailey also recalled a similar situation during the 2023 World Cup involving Head. Australia came close to altering plans before Head returned later in the tournament.
“You might get pushed into a corner where you cannot, and you might need to make adjustments in the squad. We were close to that, having to be the case with Travis (during the 2023 Cricket World Cup),” he concluded.
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