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Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has opted out of the upcoming white-ball matches against South Africa in August, choosing instead to focus on conditioning ahead of a busy home summer and the highly anticipated Ashes series later this year.
Cummins, who was already rested from the ongoing T20I series against West Indies, will now extend his break from competitive cricket.
Star players Mitchell Starc and Travis Head have also been rested from the Caribbean white-ball series, while Josh Hazlewood and Spencer Johnson have been withdrawn from the T20I leg as well.
Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed that Hazlewood is expected to return for the ODI series against South Africa, which will be played across Darwin, Cairns, and Mackay. However, he will skip the T20Is.
Fast bowler Xavier Bartlett and explosive batter Jake Fraser-McGurk have been named as replacements for the West Indies T20Is.
As for Cummins, the 31-year-old will now enter a strength and recovery phase.
The pacer confirmed during a press conference in Jamaica that he plans to return for the short T20I tour of New Zealand in early October.
“I’ll have a good training block over the next six weeks or so,” Cummins said.
“Probably not bowling, but lots of gym work. The body feels pretty good, but there are always little bits and pieces you’re trying to get right before building up for the summer.”
Despite being Australia’s ODI captain, Pat Cummins has only led the side twice in the format since their World Cup triumph in 2023.
He also missed the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year while managing an ankle injury during the home Test series against India.
Australia’s ongoing T20I series against West Indies begins on July 20, with the first two matches scheduled at Sabina Park in Jamaica, followed by the remaining three in St Kitts.
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