Cummins named to replace Starc

Pat Cummins’ often tortured five-year trek back to a Test career that beckoned so brightly has taken its penultimate step with him added to Australia’s squad for the current tour of India.

The 23-year-old fast bowler was today confirmed as the replacement for injured quick Mitchell Starc, who has been forced to return home having been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot.

Quick Single: Starc injury a huge blow to Australia

There is a certain grim irony in Cummins, who was player of the match in his Test debut against South Africa at Wanderers in November 2011 but has not played a Test since, gaining his opportunity due to a fellow quick breaking down with injury.

Stress fractures in his back have plagued the strongly built right-armer since he tore on to the international scene as a teenager in that Test, claiming match figures of 7-117 before suffering the first of countless injury setbacks.

He has been close to a Test recall in the past, most recently during the 2015 Ashes tour to the UK when he was a late call-up following the sudden retirement of Ryan Harris, and Starc was again under an injury cloud, but has been restricted largely to limited-overs cricket of late as his return to the game was strictly managed.

Cummins returned to Sheffield Shield cricket for the first time since March 2011 this week when he played for New South Wales in their win over South Australia at the SCG, bowling with pace and accuracy to capture 8-104 and also contribute a handy 42 with the bat.

It’s his presence as an out-and-out strike bowler in the same mould of Starc that has convinced the national selection panel to take something of an educated punt (given his lack of first-class form) and add him to the 16-man squad.

With an expectation that he would take the new ball with Josh Hazlewood in the crucial third Test of the Qantas Tour of India that begins at Ranchi on Thursday, with the four-match campaign level at 1-1.

“It’s unfortunate to lose Mitch out of the squad in India,” selection panel chair Trevor Hohns said today.

“In selecting Pat, we were looking for a strike bowling replacement option.

“Pat has impressed in his return to cricket this summer with consistent performances in his ODI, Twenty20 International and Big Bash matches.

“He has also had a very good Sheffield Shield return for New South Wales, after six years off, where he made a notable Shield best 4-57 in the first innings, before bettering those figures in the second innings with 4-47 in his man-of-the-match performance.”

Cummins has played 28 one-day internationals and 18 T20 Internationals since he earned his first Australia cap at 18, but has no experience in playing for his country in India.

The pitch for the third Test is expected to once again be dry and favour spin.

And the fact that conventional swing bowling and movement off the seam have played little role in this series to date could explain why Cummins – with his superior pace – might leapfrog seamer Jackson Bird for the vacant Test berth.

Bird has impressed in the nets during training sessions of this tour but Starc’s vital spell on the final morning at Bengaluru last week, when he started the demolition of India’s tail with the second new ball, underscored the value of firepower on flat, unresponsive pitches.

Test Squads

India (for third and fourth Tests): Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandaran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund.

Australia: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Stephen O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade

Australia's schedule in India

Feb 23-27, First Test, Pune - Australia won by 333 runs.

Mar 4-8, Second Test, Bengaluru - India won by 75 runs.

Mar 16-20, Third Test, Ranchi

Mar 25-29, Fourth Test, Dharamsala