Pat Cummins prioritises long-term fitness ahead of gruelling 2027 schedule

Australia captain Pat Cummins has admitted that managing his fitness for a demanding 2027 calendar was a key factor behind his decision to withdraw from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

The Test and ODI skipper has been replaced in Australia’s squad for the upcoming tournament in Sri Lanka and India by left-arm quick Ben Dwarshuis.

Cummins has been battling a back injury since Australia’s tour of the Caribbean last July, with his only appearance since then coming in the Ashes-clinching Test victory in Adelaide.

Following the swift retention of the urn, achieved in just 11 days, Cummins and Cricket Australia agreed that he would sit out the final two Tests of the summer to allow adequate recovery ahead of the T20 World Cup.

However, a minor setback during rehabilitation forced the fast bowler to reconsider, with Cummins opting not to risk his long-term health given his history of back problems earlier in his career. Speaking to AAP, Cummins said the timing ultimately worked against him.

“It was really unfortunate,” said Cummins. “I feel pretty good, just a minor setback and I just ran out of time really. We knew after the Adelaide Test we’d need somewhere between four and eight weeks to let the bone settle before building back up. Initially, we thought it might only be four weeks, but a follow-up scan showed it probably needed another couple of weeks, so the timeline became too tight.”

Australia are bracing for an unprecedented schedule starting in August, when they host Bangladesh in Darwin and Mackay.

That series will be followed by a Test tour of South Africa in September, their first since the infamous 2018 ‘Sandpapergate’ series.

The team will then return home for a four-Test series against New Zealand before spending much of 2027 on the road.

The following year looms as particularly taxing, with a five-Test tour of India, the pink-ball 150th anniversary Test against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, an away Ashes series, an ODI World Cup and a potential World Test Championship final at Lord’s all on the horizon.

Cummins said he was keen to avoid being underprepared for what he described as a “monster” 18-month period.

“We thought the first half of the year was a good time to be conservative with the amount of cricket coming up,” the 32-year-old said.

“If you get it right now, hopefully you won’t have to worry about it later and you can just go out and play all those Test matches. If you’re not careful and it flares up, you end up chasing your tail.”

Cummins, who captains Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, remains hopeful of leading his franchise when the tournament begins on March 26.

“We’ll just be guided by my back,” he said. “We’ll have another scan in a few weeks and, if it’s good, we’ll have a slow build-up. T20s are a bit easier to get up for than Tests, which is why I was so close to making this World Cup.”

Australia head into the T20 World Cup under scrutiny after being whitewashed 3–0 by Pakistan in their most recent T20I series.

They will be without Cummins and Mitchell Starc, who has retired from T20 internationals, while Josh Hazlewood is also set to miss the early part of the tournament.

Despite the setbacks, Cummins believes the squad remains in good spirits.

“It wasn’t our best few games in Pakistan, but the guys are coming off a strong Big Bash and a couple are coming back from injury,” he said. “Morale is good. Talking to a few of the boys from afar, they know how big this is and they’re desperate to get started.”