Pat Cummins targets full participation in Australia's record Test schedule in 2026

Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins aims to play every match during Australia's demanding 12-month Test schedule starting in 2026.

Cummins' recovery progress Following his return from the IPL, where he featured in his first competitive games after four months due to a back injury that interrupted his Ashes preparation, Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins expressed full confidence in his physical condition. Speaking at a media event for Amazon Prime's women's Twenty20 World Cup coverage, Cummins stated his body felt in excellent shape. He confirmed recent scans showed no issues and outlined the next phase of his preparation: building stamina to bowl 20 overs in a single day and then repeating the feat in a Test match. ## Ambitious Test workload ahead Cummins plans to slowly increase his bowling workload during June and July as Australia prepares for a 12-month period featuring up to 21 Tests. The demanding schedule kicks off with two home Tests against Bangladesh in August. By the following August, the team will travel to South Africa for the first time since 2018, embark on a pivotal tour of India, and compete in England to defend the Ashes. The program also includes a home series against New Zealand, the 150th anniversary Test at the MCG, and potentially the World Test Championship final at Lord's. ## Big three pacers' availability concerns Australia's trio of frontline fast bowlers—Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood—usually feature in every home summer Test, but Cummins admitted this schedule may force changes. Despite hoping to play every Test, he acknowledged logistical challenges could arise. Cummins highlighted his recent lack of match play as a potential advantage, saying 'The lucky thing is I haven't played much in the last year or so, so I'm actually coming in physically as good as I possibly could be.' He added, 'I'm kind of hoping that I play all of them, but I'm sure things will pop up along the way. It'd be very surprising if the same three bowlers played in 21 of the Tests .. there might be a little bit of chopping and changing. It's kind of unprecedented.' ## Backup bowlers step up during injuries When injuries sidelined Cummins and Hazlewood during last summer's 4-1 Ashes victory, reserve pacers Scott Boland, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, and Brendan Doggett stepped in to fill the gaps. Cummins' focus now is to prioritize Test cricket, which may limit his participation in white-ball formats this season. A Big Bash League appearance this summer appears increasingly unlikely as he aims to conserve energy for the grueling Test schedule ahead. ## Hazlewood's fitness and future prospects Cummins expressed optimism about Hazlewood's ability to return to regular Test duty despite persistent hamstring and Achilles tendon issues that previously kept him out of the entire Ashes. The 35-year-old bowler has featured in only 10 of Australia's last 20 Tests, but Cummins praised his recent return to action, where Hazlewood helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the IPL final last month. Cummins noted the challenge for veterans like Hazlewood is maintaining consistency, saying, 'Bowling seems a funny one, you can get on a bit of a roll and play a lot. The hardest thing for someone like Josh is actually getting up and going again. He's had a few little niggles as he's been building back up, so it's been great to see him play a lot of cricket.'