Pat Cummins is confident most of Australia's top players will travel to Pakistan this year
Cummins understands that some of his teammates will be dropping out of the Tour, but things are looking positive
Cricket PassionEditor
Posted - 2022-01-14T12:30:41+06:00
Updated - 2022-01-14T12:30:41+06:00
Pat Cummins believes the vast majority of Australia's Test team will travel to Pakistan but the skipper has full understanding if teammates drop out of the Tour.
Cummins said while there was still some work to be done on the kangaroos' journey to Pakistan, the right arm pacer added that things were indeed looking positive.
Cummins also commended the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the amount of work they have put in to ensure the series goes ahead. The Australian skipper added that things are going well and said there are positive signs for Australia.
Cricket Australia is yet to press players for a final decision regarding the multi-format series in Pakistan, which is due to begin with a Test in Karachi on March 3.
But the selectors have started making plans for a busy few months when Australia's white ball streak against New Zealand and Sri Lanka will quickly be followed by the Pakistan tour and then the IPL.
Players and staff received a preliminary briefing on security procedures in Pakistan ahead of Australia's first tour of the nation since 1998.
"A little more work to do but things are looking very positive right now," Cummins said. “The amount of work that the PCB has put into it is fantastic.
"It's shaping up in such a way that almost everyone - if not all - will leave. If some players have to make a choice, it's perfectly fine that they won't be there. I still have some water to go under the bridge, some more information to gather and pass on to everyone."
In February, Australia's top players are likely to be split between a home white-ball squad and a Test touring party in Pakistan. Cummins is concerned about bladder fatigue, knowing players' freedoms are likely to remain restricted due to Covid-19.
"We've been here for two years, so we've learned a lot," he said. “But it also means that some players are probably already through. These are unprecedented times, we just have to make sure we look out for each other. Conversations are taking place. The selectors have been great along with the coaching staff.”
This summer, Cummins have donned the baggy green for the first time since losing to India a year ago, while it is the first five-Test series during the Covid-19 era.
Cummins said he doubted the rivals would pass five tests, especially after Travis Head contracted coronavirus.
"And almost everyone I know in Sydney has Covid," Cummins said. “We have been tested almost every day for the past 20 days. It was just fantastic that we got through the series.”