Australia vs Pakistan: Pat Cummins rested for the third T20I

Australia’s pace spearhead Pat Cummins has been rested for the third and final T20I against Pakistan to be played at Perth. The fast bowler has been consistently playing without too much rest in the past 5-6 months. He was part of all five Test matches in the Ashes series. Also, he has played five T20Is in the past two weeks.

Australia need to put on consistent performances and keep the momentum going in their favor in T20Is as they have struggled to completely gauge the right approach to success in T20s. So their recent run of good form is very crucial for their preparation ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup to be played in Australia next year.

Pat Cummins rested; Sean Abbott might get a chance

However, according to Sydney Morning Herald, Cummins is expected to play in New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield game against Western Australia at the SCG, which will also feature other national team mainstays like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, and David Warner. This would be their only red-ball game ahead of the crucial Test series against Pakistan. In the final T20I, Sean Abbott is likely to get a chance in the place of rested Pat Cummins.

“It’s a little bit of recovery and preparing for the Test match,” Justin Langer, the Australian head coach said. “We’ve got so much cricket on and he plays a lot of it so we’ve got the opportunity for him not to take the long flight to Perth. In the past we have used these opportunities to rest some of those guys,” Langer explained. “But we need to get better at it, it’s something that is a priority for Australian cricket. So, therefore, you want to play your best players as often as you can.”

Australia have clearly marked and chalked out a plan to succeed in T20Is. They have accepted their shortcomings and are willing to work on them. Playing the best possible team based on conditions provided is the best possible method to achieve success. They are after all chasing an elusive ICC T20 World Cup title. The closest they came was in 2010 where they lost out to their old foes England in the final.

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