Pat Cummins takes a break from Cricket

Australia's Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has decided to skip the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa next month to focus on his fitness ahead of the Ashes later this year. Pat Cummins was already rested for the upcoming five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Apart from Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Travis Head were also rested for the upcoming T20I series against the West Indies. However, they have all been on the Caribbean tour for the three-match Test series. Australia will take on the West Indies in the third and final Test from July 13 at Sabina Park.

Pat Cummins to skip South Africa series to focus on Ashes preparations

Now, Josh Hazlewood will also join his Test captain, Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Travis Head on the flight back to Australia after the end of the Test leg of the Caribbean tour. Initially, Hazlewood was named in the squad for the T20I series against the West Indies, starting on July 21, but now he has decided to skip the white-ball matches.

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Xavier Bartlett has been named as Hazlewood’s replacement. However, Josh Hazlewood is highly likely to play the white-ball series against South Africa at home, but Pat Cummins will work on his fitness as part of his preparation for Australia’s busy home summer. Australia and South Africa are all set to play three T20Is and three ODIs.

Speaking to the media at Sabina Park during the pre-match press conference, Cummins has confirmed that he will spend the next few weeks in a focused training block, mainly doing gym work rather than bowling. The Australian captain has insisted that his body feels good, but he wants to fix a few minor issues before the busy summer ahead.

I'll have a good training block for the next couple of months: Pat Cummins

Cummins is eyeing a return during the T20I tour of New Zealand in October and also hopes to play in some limited-overs matches against India before the Ashes begin in late November against England. He is also considering playing a Sheffield Shield game before the home summer and the Ashes.

Pat Cummins was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: “I'll have a good training block for the next couple of months, six weeks or so. Probably not bowling, but lots of gym work. My body feels pretty good, but there are always little bits and pieces you're always trying to get right and then build up for the summer. So, it'll probably look like white-ball cricket…we've got some matches against New Zealand, India, potentially a Shield game, and then into the home summer.”

Notably, Cummins is still Australia’s ODI captain, but he has only led the team twice in the format since their 2023 World Cup victory in India. Earlier this year, he missed the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to an ankle injury, which he had been managing during the Test series against India.

Read Also: Australia Playing 11 vs West Indies- 3rd Test, Australia tour of West Indies 2025

Pat Cummins says strong performances in West Indies and Shield games can boost Test selection chances

Well, the Australian skipper said that performing well in the current Test series against the West Indies as well as in the upcoming Sheffield Shield and Australia A matches can help players strengthen their case for future selections for the upcoming home summer.

He signed off by saying, “There's a lot of Shield cricket to come and some Aussie A stuff as well. I think if you do well at the test level, anytime it's going to kind of make your case more compelling. I think there's a bit of a connection to the summer, but it feels a long way away at the moment.”