Pat Cummins eyes Adelaide Test return

Australia captain Pat Cummins will be ready to return from injury for the third Ashes test against England in Adelaide, the fast bowler said on Saturday.

Cummins missed the series-opener in Perth and the ongoing day-night match in Brisbane while recovering from a back injury.

“I’ll have one more bowl tomorrow (in the nets) and then we’ll go to Adelaide and have a bowl there. So barring any hiccups, I’ll be good to go,” Cummins told host broadcaster Fox Sports.

“The body feels great.”

Steve Smith has led Australia in Cummins’s absence, with Scott Boland replacing him in the pace unit since Perth.

With fellow pacer Josh Hazlewood unlikely to be fit for Adelaide, Cummins will likely return at the expense of Brendan Doggett or Michael Neser.

Cummins was omitted from the second test squad named a week before the Gabba test but confirmed media reports that selectors had seriously considered picking him before deciding it was too risky.

“It just felt a bit too acute at the end and didn’t really feel fair on the other bowlers,” he said.

“So we thought it didn’t feel like the right test match to take that risk — so kick it down the road for a week.”