Cummins Eyes South Africa ODIs as Test Springboard, Set to Miss Zimbabwe Leg

Australia captain Pat Cummins has indicated that he is likely to miss the upcoming ODI series against Zimbabwe as he and the country’s premier pace attack prioritize preparation for the subsequent Test tour of South Africa.

Cummins, speaking after Australia squared the Test series against Bangladesh with a comprehensive two-day victory in Mackay, made clear that the white-ball fixtures in late September would be viewed through the lens of the longer format. The fast bowler, who has played just two ODIs since leading Australia to the 2023 World Cup title, said the focus of the limited-overs matches would be on red-ball readiness.

“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. So a lot of the white-ball [series], and how we play that, would be with an eye to the red ball,” Cummins said. “So I’d imagine it’d be one, two, probably a maximum of three games out of those six.”

Australia are scheduled to play Zimbabwe in three ODIs on September 15, 18 and 20 before travelling to South Africa for a further three 50-over matches. Pat Cummins suggested he would take an additional week’s rest and skip the Zimbabwe leg entirely, using the South Africa series as his entry point.

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

Pace Trio’s Workload Management

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, speaking separately to Fox Cricket in Mackay, indicated they too are expecting to feature in the ODI series against South Africa as part of their Test build-up. Starc has played nine ODIs since the last World Cup, while Hazlewood leads the trio with 11 appearances in that period.

Cummins confirmed that all three quicks had emerged from the Bangladesh series without injury concerns. A brief moment during the second Test saw Scott Boland considered for selection, but Australia ultimately fielded the same attack across both matches. The minimal workload required to dismiss Bangladesh for 64 and 95 in Mackay ensured the pacemen remained fresh for the challenges ahead.

A Return to South African Shores

The South Africa Test series, which begins in Durban, carries significant weight for Australia. It will mark their first Test tour of the country since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal at Newlands, though they have returned for white-ball series in 2020 and 2023. A scheduled Test visit in early 2021 was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

South Africa defeated Australia in the World Test Championship final at Lord’s last year, a result that still rankles with Cummins.

“They’re a really strong side,” Cummins said. “We had a big series against them here in Australia a couple of years back and we probably exceeded expectations, played really well, and then they got us back at Lord’s last year and outplayed us there”.

“So it’s going to be big, obviously, in their home conditions [and] places we haven’t played Test cricket in for a while. So conditions are always a little bit unknown. Even the difference between Durban to, say, Cape Town can be quite different styles of pitches. It’s going to be great. That’s why I love playing Test cricket. It’s all different conditions, different opponents, different parts of the world. Can’t wait.”

Australia’s ODI squads for the Zimbabwe and South Africa series are expected to be named next week, with the Test squad likely to follow in early September. Selectors have previously indicated that some players may be prioritized for the four-day matches on the Australia A tour to India over the ODI squads, with an eye on next year’s five-match Border-Gavaskar series.

Following the ODI series against South Africa, which concludes on September 30 in Potchefstroom, Australia will have a two-day practice match at the same venue on October 3 and 4 before the first Test begins in Durban.

                                               

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