Plan A is to use Cummins in all games: Saker

Chennai, September 14
Australia’s stand-in coach David Saker today said that the team management will closely monitor fast bowler Pat Cummins’ workload in the upcoming limited-overs series against India even though he’s expected to play all five ODIs. “At this stage we’re planning for him to play all the games. We will look at (resting him), it’s obviously been brought up between all of us. We know that his workloads are up there, but we know it’s an important series. It’s Australia vs India, it doesn’t get any bigger than that,” Saker was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
Cummins would be leading an inexperienced fast bowling attack in five ODIs and three T20Is over the next month, with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson nursing minor injuries ahead of the Ashes.
Saker admitted Cummins’ bowling workload was “up there” after he pushed himself to the limit in oppressive conditions on the recent Test tour of Bangladesh, but said resting him against India was only plan B. The paceman, whose career has been hit by a series of injuries since he made his debut against South Africa in 2011, bowled only four overs in the team’s warm-up match against Board President’s XI here on Tuesday. “He’s really determined to play well over here. It’ll be game-by-game basis, we’ll play it by the ear,” the stand-in coach was reported as saying. Cummins is one of the just three frontline fast bowlers in Australia’s squad, alongside Nathan Coulter-Nile and Kane Richardson. The ODI series begins in Chennai on September 17.