Pat Cummins confident of being fit for Adelaide Test

After recording a comprehensive 164-run win against West Indies at the Optus Stadium in Perth, Australian skipper Pat Cummins said he was confident Sunday of being fit to play in the second Test starting December 8 at the Adelaide Oval. 

The pace spearhead has been nursing a mild thigh problem and did not bowl in the second innings of the game after Australia declared on 182 for the loss of two wickets. 

While he was on the field marshalling his troops, he did not bowl with Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood shouldering the fast-bowling workload, along with six-wicket hero Nathan Lyon as Australia prevailed before tea on day five.

There is a short turnaround for the day-night Adelaide Test, which starts on Thursday, but Cummins said he should be okay.

"It's just a small strain, normally a one-weeker (recovery), and if you bowl, you make it worse, but I'll spend the next few days rehabbing and think it's a pretty good chance I'll be good for Adelaide," he said.

Australia play five Tests this summer, with three against South Africa after the West Indies, then a massive 2023 ahead, with Cummins also conscious that he has a lot of bowling to do.

"It's definitely part of the thought process the last few days. I don't really want to turn a one-weeker into a three or four-week injury and potentially miss the summer," he said.

"We'll weigh all that up, but I felt pretty comfortable out there. Even without Cummins, Australia were too good for the West Indies, with Lyon ending with 6-128 despite the wicket offering little for spinners.

The skipper said he felt the team was improving in being able to close out Tests on day five after several failures to do so in recent years.

"I hope so, the last few instances, in Pakistan (this year) and here, I've felt the whole squad has been really composed, not just the bowlers but the fielding group out there," he said.

"I just feel like we've given ourselves the best chance. Feels like we've got a really good method. It's not going to work every time but we're giving ourselves the best chance."

(With inputs from AFP)