Australia’s ODI captain Pat Cummins is set to return to the 50-over format during the team’s upcoming tour of South Africa as part of his preparations for the Test series against the Proteas.

Cummins has played only two ODIs since leading Australia to the 2023 World Cup title in Ahmedabad, with Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis taking charge of the side in his absence.

Australia will first travel to Zimbabwe for three ODIs on September 15, 18 and 20 before facing South Africa in a three-match series from September 24 to 30.

However, Cummins suggested he could skip the Zimbabwe leg as Australia manage their workloads with the Test series in South Africa taking priority.

“I think I’ll be part of at least some of it. I’m not sure I should say this, but I think the focus is on the Test series,” Cummins said after Australia levelled the two-Test series against Bangladesh with a two-day victory in Mackay.

“So I’d imagine it’d be one, two, probably a maximum of three games out of those six.”

Cummins also indicated that Australia’s leading fast bowlers could be rested from bowling for a period before building towards the Test series.

“We’ll probably all have, I imagine, a week or two off bowling, still do your gym work, and then we’ll start building up for that series,” he said.

“I’ll probably have an extra week here if I don’t play the Zimbabwe [matches].”

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Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have also indicated that they expect to feature in at least some of the ODIs before the Test assignment.

While Australia are prioritising their red-ball commitments, the upcoming 50-over matches will also provide important preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup, with most of the tournament scheduled to be played in South Africa alongside fixtures in Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Starc has played nine ODIs since the 2023 World Cup, including all three matches against India at home last season, while Hazlewood has featured in 11 during the same period.

The workload management comes during a packed period for Australia, who could play as many as 21 Tests in 12 months.

Australia’s ODI series against South Africa will conclude in Potchefstroom on September 30, with a two-day practice match scheduled at the same venue on October 3 and 4 before the Test squad travels to Durban.

The Test series will mark Australia’s first red-ball tour of South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.

The two teams have met in white-ball cricket twice in South Africa since then, in 2020 and 2023, while a planned Test tour in early 2021 was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Africa also defeated Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last year.