'I think I'll be fine' – Cummins hopeful of being fit for Adelaide Test

Cummins, who was jogging for balls in the outfield on Sunday at Perth Stadium to protect his quad, will be given right up until Thursday morning to prove his fitness.

“I felt okay,” Cummins said. “It was more not trying to run as opposed to being restricted to run. I felt all right. If it got a bit tighter, I was going to have a bowl but pretty happy I managed not to bowl to give myself a good chance.

“It’s just a small strain so normally about a one-weeker, and if you bowl you make it worse and can make it longer. I’ll spend the next few days rehabbing getting it right and I think it’s a pretty good chance I’ll be good for Adelaide.”

“We’ve got five Tests and I want to make sure I’m available for all five. It’s always like that. But a lot of the Test matches you leave with absolutely nothing left in the tank”

Pat Cummins

As for Cummins, he said that the medical staff would have a major say in whether he took the field in Adelaide or not, with Australia’s selectors mindful that the bowlers have five Test matches to play in this home summer with very short turnarounds between them.

“It was definitely the thought process the last couple of days,” Cummins said. “You don’t really want to turn a one-week injury into a three or four-week injury and you potentially miss the summer. So we’ll weigh all that up. As I said, I felt pretty comfortable out there. Give it a few days. It already feels pretty good.

“The physio might be less optimistic but I think I’ll be fine. I’m sure I’ll have running and a bit of bowling to make sure I’m right.

Cummins did concede that the captaincy added a different weight to his decision as to whether he would push himself to play.

“I think it does add a bit,” he said. “We’ve got five Tests and I want to make sure I’m available for all five. It’s always like that. But a lot of the Test matches you leave with absolutely nothing left in the tank.”

Alex Malcolm is an Associate Editor at ESPNcricinfo