Australian captain Pat Cummins has said that he is on track to play the second Ashes Test against England, starting in Brisbane on December 4. The 32-year-old, who missed the series opener in Perth which ended on Saturday due to a back injury, said that he went through a few bowling sessions at Perth and was hopeful to be fit in time for the next match.
Steve Smith led in Cummins’ place in the Test match at Perth, which saw the hosts go 1-0 up in the series with a commanding eight-wicket win.
“It’s feeling good. I had a couple of good sessions in Perth this week, so having a big day where I’d bowl around 10 overs, then a couple of quieter days, and then going again. It’s on track and pulling up pretty well. [I’m] half a chance for the next game,” Cummins told Fox Sports TV.
“I’ll have a couple more bowls, and then there could be about two weeks before the next one, the way this one is going. I’m pretty hopeful, and it’s probably better than it was a few weeks ago,” he added.
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The fast bowler, however, confirmed that Usman Khawaja may be a doubtful starter for the second Test after suffering back spasms in the series opener, which prevented him from opening the batting in both innings.
“Unfortunately, Uzzy is not moving too well. His back flared up again in the slips going for a jump above his head, so he was unable to open,” Cummins said.
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Travis Head opened the batting in Khawaja’s place and made an exceptional 123 off 83 balls, which helped Australia chase down England’s target of 205 runs in 28.2 overs. Smith later confirmed that it was Head, who had shown an interest in opening the batting in Khawaja’s absence, and he let him walk out with Jake Weatherald in Australia’s second innings.
