‌Cummins aims Sheffield Shield return to bolster preparation for Border Gavaskar Trophy

08/13/2024

Australia captain Pat Cummins is all set to return to the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s premier domestic List A tournament. He is going to be available for the New South Wales in the upcoming season which will serve as a good preparation for for the Border Gavaskar Series in Australia.

Following a successful stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad and the San Francisco Unicorns in IPL 2024 and MLC 2024 respectively, Cummins has opted for rest from national duties. He is set to skip Australia’s white-ball tour of Scotland and England and shall return to competitive cricket in the Sheffield Shield.

"So I'd say it's either two or three ODIs, plus a Shield or maybe just some Shield, maybe some NSW one-day stuff. I imagine kind of late October/early November will be when I start playing building up for the Tests."

The 31-year-old last played a Shield game in February 2021 in his nine-match history of the tourney. He is eyeing to represent the New South Wales side for their fixture against Victoria and Queensland in late October and early November.

"Ronnie [coach Andrew McDonald] called me the other day and said we need to talk about this," Cummins told News Corp. "I prefer to go a little bit fresher but definitely play some cricket going in.

However, the Pakistan ODI series is scheduled in the early half of November and might clash with the Queensland encounter of New South Wales.

"I'll have a good six or eight weeks off bowling where I'll get in the gym every day, do some running, and get some strength back into my body," he said.

Apart from Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon should participate in the Shield before the India series during Australia’s home summer.