Cummins to make red ball return with NSW

Pat Cummins will make his highly-anticipated return to red-ball cricket next week after he was named in New South Wales’ Toyota Futures League side to face Tasmania.

The right-arm speedster will line up for the Blues on Monday in their four-day match against the Tigers at Blacktown International Sports Park in a side captained by Ben Rohrer.

Mystery spinner Arjun Nair and fast-bowler Gurinder Sandhu will also feature for the Blues, with Rohrer making his return from a lower body injury he sustained the recent Matador BBQs One-Day Cup.

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

Cummins hasn’t played a first-class match in Australia in more than five years, when a marathon 2011 Sheffield Shield final performance helped win him a memorable Test debut in South Africa later that year. 

But since he claimed seven wickets and struck the winning runs in his maiden outing in the Baggy Green, the luckless quick has suffered a succession of injuries.

But Cummins looked back to his best in the Matador Cup, bowling with sharp pace and finding subtle movement with the white ball, showing encouraging signs for both the 23-year-old and Australian cricket. 

"(The) body feels better and better each game, I haven't really had to think about it," Cummins said during the tournament.

"The ball feels like it's coming out where I want it to. Couldn't be happier.

"We played a couple of trial games (before the Matador Cup) … I tried to crank it up (his pace) for a couple of spells.

"I was pretty comfortable throughout this pre-season, trying to work on a little bit on technique and just bowling within myself.

"I think in the pre-season my top speed in the nets was about 122kph so hopefully (his Matador performance) was a bit quicker than that."

In other Futures League matches kicking off Monday, Queensland host Victoria at Allan Border Field while Western Australia travel to Canberra to take on the ACT at Manuka Oval.

NSW Futures League squad to play Tasmania: Ben Rohrer (captain), Josh Clarke, Harry Conway, Patrick Cummins, Harry Dalton, Chris Green, Josh Lalor, Nick Larkin, Jay Lenton, Arjun Nair, Gurinder Sandhu, Charlie Wakim.

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