Australia's pacemen are being primed to play all five Tests against England but medical staff won't make any promises as Pat Cummins enters uncharted territory.
If the hosts boast an unchanged attack throughout the upcoming Ashes it will be an immense boost to their hopes of regaining the urn.
It is a big if.
Mitchell Starc has spent most of this year sidelined with a serious foot injury, while Josh Hazlewood made a low-key return from a side strain via grade cricket and is set to ramp up his comeback in the Sheffield Shield this weekend.
Cummins is fit and firing but has a history riddled with serious setbacks, having spent almost six years in the Test wilderness after a dominant debut in 2011 at age 18.
"Our goal is to get them to the first Test and there's no set goal beyond that," CA's sports science chief Alex Kountouris said.
"It's uncharted territory for him (Cummins) ... we want him to play all five, that's our goal.
"If the first game is over in three days it's easier (to back up) than if he bowls 60 overs in the first game and pulls up sore.
"We have to suck it and see."
Strength and conditioning coach Aaron Kellett noted the quicks' workloads became virtually impossible to plan come November 23, when the much-anticipated series starts in Brisbane.
"So you're basically reacting," Kellett said.
Australia named an unchanged XI throughout their 5-0 thumping of England four years ago, with Ryan Harris playing every game despite his busted knee.
A number of early finishes and short English innings helped Harris' cause.
"We didn't expect Ryan Harris to play five Tests," Kountouris said.
"We didn't plan on him missing games but we also planned that he might not get through.
"Harris was going in with an injury.
"There's nothing wrong with him (Cummins), we just know that in this series if he plays all five Tests he'll double the number of matches in his Test career."
Share
