Aussie captain Pat Cummins played final Ashes test with suspected broken wrist, casting doubt on white ball tours of South Africa and India
Aussie captain Pat Cummins played final Ashes test with suspected broken wrist, casting doubt on white ball tours of South Africa and India
- Cummins injured it on day one of the fifth test
- Australia gets a new captain for ODI in September
- Cummins can rejoin the roster in October
Australian Test cricket captain Pat Cummins may have played an incredibly brave hand in the last Ashes Test match after it appeared he broke his wrist playing.
Cummins will get scans of his awkward hand that he hurt trying to cause a run-out on the first day of the final test.
He was sore throughout the test, adding huge credit to his 150-minute stand batting in the first innings.
While the injury did not seem to affect Cummins’ bowling, he seemed uneasy as he battled 36 off 86 balls to lead Australia to a narrow lead in the first innings.
When questioned about the strapping that appeared on his wrist on day two, Cummins tried to play it down.
Pat Cummins (pictured) bravely went on without telling anyone that his left wrist may have been broken on the first day of the final Ashes Test
Cummins (right) with Ben Stokes, batted and bowled throughout the Fifth Test with a suspected broken left wrist
“I landed on my wrist on the first day in the field for a run-out. It’s pretty painful,” is all Cummins said after day two of the fifth Test of the Ashes.
“We’ll have it assessed in the next few days and see if anything needs to be done.”
The heavy workload that the skipper has had to endure in recent months, namely six trials in the trot, in combination with this injury, will keep the star all-rounder out of national duties until October.
That opens the door for several team changes in India and South Africa’s upcoming T20 and ODI series.
Injury didn’t stop the skipper from celebrating an Ashes series victory with his teammates, some of whom will not be touring South Africa and India in the upcoming white ball series
Mitch Marsh (pictured) is a big hitter and a hot candidate to take over as cue ball captain with Cummins unavailable
Cricket Australia will name squads for those upcoming white-ball series abroad as early as Monday, starting in September with Test superstar Marnus Labuschagne likely to be rested.
The Aussie sides will depart for three Twenty20s and five one-day internationals in South Africa later this month, then fly to India for three more ODIs and official warm-ups before their World Cup kicks off with a match against the hosts on October 8. .
West Aussie Mitch Marsh’s resurgent test form could earn him the coveted job of captain of these squads.
His reckless style lends itself perfectly to leading a national team. Steve Smith also qualifies for the top job.
Selectors will likely hold off on any decision on a long-term successor to Aaron Finch, who has retired.
If Cummins is well rested and healed in early October, he can join the squad in India for the T20 series.