'Test cricket is tough' - Pat Cummins opens up on physical battles of playing Test cricket

Australia skipper Pat Cummins has made his intentions clear that he wants to play all five matches of the upcoming Ashes 2023. Notably, the ace pacer took some time off the game and didn’t play in the recently concluded Indian Premier League and is fresh for the World Test Championship final and for the marquee series against England. 

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old clarified that there will be rotation along the way during the Ashes in terms of player selection. Ace pacer Josh Hazlewood, who’s currently recuperating from an Achilles injury and side issue, is expected to play the first Test against England and thus, it will be interesting to see how Australia's bowling combination is going to look like. David Warner’s form will also decide if the cricketer will play all six matches or not (WTC final and five Ashes Tests). 

Cummins nevertheless wants to play all the matches and stated that he was exhausted and depleted earlier but is now raring to go.

“I mean it's a balance. I've been exhausted and depleted before but still got up and felt like I did a really good job. But if that comes up at any stage, of course, it's a conversation. I'll be aiming to play all six and there's some good breaks in between every batch of two Tests matches so I think it's manageable. Cam Green helps out a little bit as well with the amount of overs he can bowl,” Cummins was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

As a fast bowler to play 50 Tests, it is something to be pretty proud of: Cummins

During the early stages of his career, Pat Cummins struggled a lot with his fitness and he recently revealed that he once thought that Test cricket was not his cup of tea. He mentioned that bowling only ten overs used to make him tired. However, he gave credit to the physios and doctors for making him recover quickly and helping him play 50 Test matches.

“I thought getting back into Test cricket was so far away for a lot of that. I felt that maybe I could play a T20 or one-day cricket, but my body, (after) 10 overs a day I would wake up and felt like I had a car crash. Looking back now, all the physios and people who went through this before me were spot on. Stay patient, you will turn a corner and be right. But when you're in your fifth cycle of stress fractures, 50 Tests feels like a long way away.

“Longevity, I always look at as as big of an achievement as average or strike rates or anything to do with performance. Test cricket is tough. You play all around the world, different conditions. Physically it is demanding. So as a fast bowler to play 50, it is something to be pretty proud of,” Cummins added.