Cummins, Hazlewood set to miss South Africa white-ball series

JAMAICA: Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins will skip the upcoming white-ball matches against South Africa in August as part of his preparation for the home summer and the highly anticipated Ashes series later this year.

Cummins had already been rested from the ongoing five-match T20I series against the West Indies, along with fellow stars Mitchell Starc and Travis Head. 

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and all-rounder Spencer Johnson have also been withdrawn from the T20I leg of the South Africa tour, with Xavier Bartlett and Jake Fraser-McGurk named as replacements.

Hazlewood is expected to feature in the ODIs during the South Africa series, scheduled to be played across Darwin, Cairns and Mackay but will skip the T20Is. 

Meanwhile, Cummins will enter a conditioning phase, focusing on strength training and recovery instead of competitive play.

Speaking at a press conference in Jamaica, Cummins added that he is targeting a return to action during the short T20I tour of New Zealand in early October.

“I’ll have a good training block for the next couple of months six weeks or so,” Cummins said. 

“Probably not bowling, but lots of gym work. The body feels pretty good, but there are always little bits and pieces you’re trying to get right before building up for the summer.”

Notably, he did not feature in the Shield before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last season. Although Cummins remains Australia's official ODI captain, he has only led the side twice in the format since their 2023 World Cup triumph.

He also missed the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year due to an ankle issue that had lingered during the Test series against India.

It is pertinent to mention that T20I series against West Indies starts on July 20 with two matches at Sabina Park before the final three are played in St Kitts.