AUS vs SA 2025: Pat Cummins Skips South Africa Series to Prioritize Ashes Prep

In order to prepare for the historic Ashes series later this year, Pat Cummins, the captain of Australia's Test and One-Day International teams, will not play in the forthcoming white-ball series against South Africa in August. The choice was made with long-term fitness objectives and task management in mind.

Cummins will continue his hiatus from international white-ball cricket after previously being rested from the current five-match T20I series against the West Indies. According to the pacer, the upcoming weeks will be devoted to a concentrated training phase that will mostly involve gym work rather than bowling.

Pat Cummins Out of AUS vs SA 2025:

Cummins stated his plan to take a long hiatus from international cricket in order to prepare his body for the prestigious Test series against England that begins in November, before the third Test match against the West Indies in Jamaica. He said, "I'll have a good training block for the next couple of months, six weeks or so. Probably not bowling, but lots of gym work. [My] body feels pretty good, but there are always little bits and pieces you're always trying to get right and then build up for the summer. So it'll probably look like white-ball [cricket]…we've got some [matches against] New Zealand, India, potentially a Shield game and then into the home summer."

The great pacer has hinted at a possible return in early October for a brief T20I trip to New Zealand, but he will miss the South Africa tour, which consists of three T20Is and three ODIs throughout Darwin, Cairns, and Mackay. In the run-up to the Ashes, he might also play in a Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales and a few limited-overs matches against India.

Cummins has only captained Australia twice since their 2023 World Cup victory, despite being the team's ODI captain. Managing an ankle injury that prevented him from competing in the Champions Trophy earlier this year has been the main reason for his few outings.

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