Cummins, Hazlewood to miss Pakistan series but hopefull for T20 WC

Sydney, Jan 3 (IANS) Australia chairman of selectors, George Bailey, expressed confidence that Hazlewood and Tim David would be ready in time for the World Cup and remained hopeful that a scan for Pat Cummins scheduled for the end of January would bring encouraging news after his Ashes workload.

Australia are prepared to take a calculated risk over Pat Cummins’ availability at the upcoming T20 World Cup, with selectors open to carrying the captain through the early stages of the tournament if it allows him to make an impact later on. The approach mirrors Australia’s handling of Travis Head during the 2023 ODI World Cup, when patience with an injury ultimately paid dividends.

Cummins, along with Josh Hazlewood and Tim David, has been named in Australia’s provisional squad for next month’s tournament, pending fitness. Cummins has not played since his solitary Ashes Test appearance in Adelaide, having recovered from a lumbar stress injury, while Hazlewood is working his way back from an Achilles injury. David, meanwhile, saw his Big Bash League campaign cut short by a hamstring injury.

"I don't think they (Hazlewood and Cummins) will be available for the Pakistan series (three T20Is in January), but I think both should be online (for the World Cup)," Bailey told the media at the SCG. "Patty might be a bit later; that might be a similar sort of situation to Travis Head in the 50-over World Cup, where there's an entry point at some point. Hopefully, we can manage and carry a squad until that point. I think Hoff [Hazlewood] should be right by the start, think Tim David should be right by the start."

Bailey acknowledged that accommodating Cummins would require flexibility, with Australia potentially needing to navigate the early part of the tournament without their captain. Australia’s opening round fixtures against Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will all be played in Sri Lanka, a factor that could help selectors manage workloads and combinations before the Super Eights.

"You might get pushed into a corner where you can't, and you might need to make adjustments in the squad," Bailey said. "We were close to that having to be the case with Travis. It's got a fit… but I guess the beauty is potentially Colombo and Kandy you might be in a position where you can set the team up in different ways.

"We've obviously got some good all-round skills there, some good spin options. There's different ways of structuring up the team where that might work out pretty naturally."

Those spin options include left-armers Matt Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly, who complement the established pairing of Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell. Kuhnemann is still searching for his first T20I wicket after four matches, while Connolly has claimed one so far. Despite not featuring in recent T20I series against South Africa, New Zealand and India, Connolly earned selection after impressing for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL, where he has taken on prominent batting and bowling roles.

"It's a nice skill set (left-arm spin) over there, and (there's) some flexibility of where he can bat," Bailey said. "So if you do want to throw that into the mix as a secondary spin option, (he) spins the ball the other way, if you're going to be using your offspin options.

"He's continued to grow. I think the exposure that he's had in international cricket's been excellent for him, and he's had some exposure in different roles as well. I just think every time he's done that, it hasn't always been good success, necessarily, but he's a good learner. Just loving seeing him get the opportunity to bat quite high for the Scorchers and also getting plenty of overs."

Bailey also pointed to the value both Connolly and Kuhnemann bring with the new ball, particularly during the powerplay, an area Australia have not traditionally leaned on spin.

"(That) is something that we haven't traditionally done a lot of," Bailey said. "I think both those guys have got that skillset, so that allows you to create some space elsewhere to be able to line up certain bowlers and continue to keep Zamps in his space."

One notable omission from the squad is left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis, with Xavier Bartlett preferred as the final fast-bowling option. Bailey, however, confirmed that Dwarshuis remains a strong contender should Cummins or Hazlewood fail to recover in time. With Mitchell Starc retired from T20 internationals and Spencer Johnson sidelined by injury, Dwarshuis has provided variation and success in recent series against West Indies and New Zealand.

"It's great variety and it's different, so I think any time you can add that to your attack it's a nice point of difference," Bailey said. "But there still has to be a high skill level there that comes with it. I don't think you use it just because of the fact it's a variety, so it's a bit of a balance."

Bailey mentioned that the team selection for the upcoming Pakistan T20I series, which acts as a preparation for the World Cup, might also depend on player availability after the BBL finals.