Waugh urges patience with pace prospect

National selector Mark Waugh has downplayed suggestions Pat Cummins should be rushed back into Australia’s Test squad despite making a successful return to the one-day international side.

Cummins' impressive return to international cricket after 15 months out of the game with a back injury has former greats including ex-selector Allan Border calling for the star quick to play in Brisbane.

The tearaway claimed 4-41 and regularly hit speeds of 150kph in Australia's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy clinching win over New Zealand on Tuesday, having gone for 2-62 in his comeback game on Sunday.

"Especially in that it's only his second game back after a long hiatus, just to come in and bowl with that sort of pace and get some important wickets, he's just going to grow in confidence and the rhythm's going to get better and better so look out," Border said on Inside Cricket.

Former Test gloveman Brad Haddin also wants Cummins back playing at the highest level, even suggesting he needs to play as much as top-flight cricket as possible now he’s recovered from injury.

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"The more we get him playing the game against quality players (the better)," Haddin said.

"He's played a couple of games of Futures League (games) and I don't think that's going to help him.

"He needs to be bowling against good batsmen to learn how to bowl again.

“It's good that he's got pace, but he needs to be bowling against batsmen that if he makes a mistake, they'll jump on him."

Following a 12-month spell on the sidelines, Cummins returned to top-flight cricket for NSW in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup, claiming 14 wickets at 18.60 to help the Blues claim back-to-back titles.

The 23-year-old, who took seven wickets on Test debut against South Africa in 2011, hasn’t played a first-class match on Australian soil in more than five years but got through 21 overs in a Toyota Futures League match last month.

Waugh said selectors had made the mistake in the past of rushing the injury-plagued quick back too quickly and were likely to resist the temptation this time around.

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"He hasn't played any four-day cricket," Waugh said.

“I think his program is Big Bash and then maybe a Shield match early next year."

As with Cummins, Waugh was enthused by Mitch Marsh's unbeaten 76 off 40 balls in the second ODI and urged the all-rounder to continue batting aggressively in his own bid to earn a Test recall.

"I see him as a sort of an Ian Botham-type player and a (Andrew) Flintoff, a real hitter of the ball," Waugh said of Marsh, who was dropped for the second Test against South Africa last month.

"So occasionally they're going to play a shot where you think 'well, that wasn't called for'.

"But that's his best way of operating."

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