Cummins hopes for December return

Cricket365
August 23, 2013

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins hopes to be back in the nets by December as he continues to recover from a stress fracture in his lower back, which sent him home from Australia A's tour of southern Africa.

The 20-year-old's career has been hampered by this recurring injury, as well as other Aussie pacemen, but he has been affected more than most and has not played a full season in two years. He is adamant about not missing another season though.

Cummins said on <i>Sky Sports Radio</i>: "The time frame (with recovery) is always quite broad. I don't think I'll bowl for another few months…(but I'm) not sure that I won't play a game this season.

"No one's putting a date on it. I'm aiming to be back bowling my first ball in the nets in December. And then it just depends how long it takes me to get up again."

Cummins made his Aussie debut as a teenager, taking six wickets against South Africa at the end of 2011, but that was his only Test and he has been out of action for most of the past two years, always aggravating his injuries before major series.

The Sydney Sixers paceman said of his injuries: "I don't seem to have great timing…it's (injuries) always at the start of a season.

"When you feel something minor or you go and get a scan and you're always a little bit nervous because you know it doesn't take much for a big bone injury.

"Then once you get the news that's something there it always dawns on you straight away that it could be a few months.

"It's frustrating but I've always got time on my side. I've done it a couple of times before, I just have to bide my time and hope it comes."

Cummins has recently been joined on the sidelines by Jackson Bird, who had to leave the Ashes tour in England early after also picking up a lower back injury.