Fast bowler has put long injury history behind him as he prepares for first Test on home soil
Cummins wants to be an Ashes ironman
Pat Cummins wants to play all five Tests this summer but with a history of injuries the speedster knows the risks of fast bowling as well as anybody.
Cummins, barring a slip-up in the next four weeks, will play his first Test on home soil when the Magellan Ashes begin in Brisbane on November 23.
The express paceman hopes to feature in the following four Tests, something that would prove Ian Bell wrong after the former England batsman quipped "people like Pat Cummins have never played five games in a row in their lives".
Equally, Cummins learned the value of patience during a stint in Test wilderness that lasted almost six years following his stellar debut at age 18.
Fellow Test quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, both recently injured, are also reminders of how physically demanding the job is.
"Joshy Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc lost something like seven or eight kilos just from bowling last summer, it's a bit of a shock to the body," Cummins told reporters in Sydney.
"I've played back-to-back Tests a couple of times now and I've felt really good but five Tests in a summer is pretty brutal.
"It's a bit of an unknown ... I feel like I'm in as good a place as I'll ever be to get through five."
It's incredibly rare for Australia to field an unchanged attack throughout a home summer, although the hosts achieved the feat during England's most recent visit.
Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle played all five Tests in the 5-0 thumping.
It's one of six consecutive home summers that Cummins spent predominantly on the sidelines, riddled with a series of serious injuries.
"Previously whenever I came back it was straight into an ODI tour. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be that guy who bowls really fast all the time," the 24-year-old said at the launch of a sponsorship deal between Gillette and Cricket Australia for the naming rights to the one-day and T20 international series.
"This time I had a good six or seven months of pre-season bowling in the nets before I started playing the Matador Cup last year.
"That's made a big difference. Hopefully it gives me another gear ... and it just feels a lot more sustainable than it was before."
Cummins, recently described as an Ashes X-factor by greats Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist, marked his Test return earlier this year in India.
The right-armer has played one match in the past three weeks, a single one-day game for NSW.
2017-18 International Fixtures:
Magellan Ashes Series
First Test Gabba, November 23-27. Buy tickets
Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Buy tickets
Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Buy tickets
Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Buy tickets
Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Buy tickets
Gillette ODI Series v England
First ODI MCG, January 14. Buy tickets
Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Buy tickets
Third ODI SCG, January 21. Buy tickets
Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Buy tickets
Fifth ODI Perth TBC, January 28. Join the ACF
Prime Minister's XI
PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Buy tickets
Gillette T20 INTL Series
First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Buy tickets
Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Buy tickets
Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Buy tickets
Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 13
Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16
Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18
Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21