Red ball return on the radar for Cummins

Australia limited-overs fast-bowler Pat Cummins could be available to play his first Sheffield Shield match in almost six years next month.

Cummins was not named as part of NSW's Shield squad to take on Tasmania from Saturday in Wollongong, and will instead play a two-day NSW Premier Cricket match for Penrith over the next two weekends.

However if Cricket Australia medical staff are happy with his conditioning following that match, it's understood he would be available to play in the following Shield game against South Australia at the SCG, beginning March 7.

The one-time Test quick has not featured in NSW's Sheffield Shield season as part of a management plan easing him back into the sport.

Cummins has played in all 13 of Australia's limited-overs matches this summer in an encouraging sign for the right-armer who's faced numerous injury setbacks since starring with seven wickets on Test debut.

He played two Futures League matches for NSW earlier in the summer and had an impressive KFC Big Bash League campaign with the Sydney Thunder.

Cummins took seven wickets in six BBL matches, while forming an important cog in Australia's pace-attack for ODI series against New Zealand (home and away) and Pakistan, as well as the recent three-match KFC T20 series against Sri Lanka.

None of the pacemen who played in that 1-2 series defeat would back up for the Sheffield Shield on Saturday to prevent burn-out, a CA spokesman said.

Cummins played his last domestic first-class match in March 2011, where he bowled 65 overs as a 17-year-old in that season's final against Tasmania, before making his memorable Test debut against the Proteas later that year.

But following his sole Test, he suffered serious back injuries and has only played four first-class matches since - two on a 2013 Australia A series and another two as part of the 2015 Ashes tour.

There have been calls for Cummins to re-enter the Test fray, with former Australian captain Allan Border calling for his selection for the current Test series in India.

The 23-year-old was snapped up by the Delhi Daredevils for AUD $875,000 in the recent Indian Premier League auction ahead of the lucrative tournament, which gets underway in April.