Why is Pat Cummins Skipping the White-Ball Series Against South Africa?

Kingston, July 12 (NationPress) Pat Cummins will not participate in the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa next month as he concentrates on his preparation for the Ashes later this year.

Cummins had previously been rested for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, alongside teammates Mitchell Starc and Travis Head. Now, Josh Hazlewood—who was initially included in the squad—will also return home following the Test series, with Xavier Bartlett stepping in as his replacement.

Although Hazlewood is slated to compete in the white-ball series against South Africa in August—which features three T20Is and three ODIs held in Darwin, Cairns, and Mackay—Cummins will instead dedicate his time to a fitness regimen in preparation for the home summer.

Cummins aims to return for the brief T20I tour of New Zealand in early October and hopes to participate in some limited-overs matches against India leading up to the Ashes in late November. He might also play in a Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales—an opportunity he missed last season ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

“I’ll have a good training block for the next couple of months, around six weeks or so,” Cummins told reporters at Sabina Park.

“Probably not bowling, but lots of gym work. (My) body feels pretty good, but there are always little bits and pieces you’re trying to get right before building up for the summer. So it’ll likely involve white-ball cricket…we’ve got matches against New Zealand, India, potentially a Shield game, and then into the home summer.”

Cummins remains the captain of Australia’s ODI team but has only led the side twice in this format since the 2023 World Cup final. He missed this year’s Champions Trophy due to an ankle problem he was managing during the Test series against India.

With the Ashes approaching, the early rounds of next season’s Sheffield Shield are anticipated to be crucial in shaping Australia’s strategies, especially as the team seeks a stable top order. Sam Konstas will have two more chances to impress during the West Indies tour, while Usman Khawaja will aim to address doubts regarding his form with two additional innings. Meanwhile, Cameron Green will look to build on his second-innings half-century in Grenada.

Eyes will then turn to how these players perform leading up to England’s visit. Green, who is part of the T20I squad in the West Indies, is likely to participate in the South Africa series before shifting back to bowling duties. Konstas is expected to play in the four-day matches during the Australia A tour of India in September, while Khawaja is not anticipated to return until Queensland’s domestic season commences.

“There’s a lot of Shield cricket to come and some Aussie A games as well,” Cummins reflected on the importance of the final Test in the West Indies.

“I think if you perform well at Test level, it strengthens your case. There’s a connection to the summer, but it feels quite a distance away at the moment.”

Xavier Bartlett, under a Cricket Australia central contract, will have the opportunity to build on his impressive start in T20Is, where he has taken 11 wickets at an average of 14.72 from seven matches. He heads to the Caribbean following a successful Major League Cricket (MLC) campaign with the San Francisco Unicorns, where he emerged as the tournament's leading wicket-taker as of Friday.

Joining him as a late addition to the squad is Jake Fraser-McGurk, who replaces left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson. The selectors opted to readjust the squad balance after Johnson developed back soreness during the IPL. Fraser-McGurk, who also played for the Unicorns alongside Bartlett in the MLC, began the tournament strong but struggled towards the end, recording four single-digit scores in five innings.

In T20Is, Fraser-McGurk has accumulated 113 runs in seven appearances, with a top score of 50 against Scotland last year. His recent form has been inconsistent—averaging just 9.16 during this year’s IPL with Delhi Capitals and had a quiet BBL season with Melbourne Renegades, accumulating 188 runs at 18.80, including 95 in a single innings against Brisbane Heat.

The five-match T20I series against the West Indies kicks off on July 20, with the first two games held at Sabina Park followed by three more in St Kitts.