Cummins hopes to replicate Johnson
Cummins is uncertain whether his body can handle the demands of five Ashes Tests but the young paceman hopes to emulate Mitchell Johnson and become an Australian wrecking ball against England.
Cummins had to wait six years between his first and second Tests due to injuries and has only played two Tests in succession twice, in India in March and on the recent tour to Bangladesh.
Johnson also had to come back from a string of serious injuries to regain his place in the Australian team before devastating England with 37 wickets during the 5-0 whitewash in 2013/14.
The left-armer’s experience gives 24-year-old Cummins hope that he can also make an impact in the series starting in Brisbane next week.
“We saw what Mitchell Johnson did last Ashes series here -- it would be a role I would love to play,” Cummins said on Tuesday. “Having those five or six years (on sidelines) ... I think it will mean a bit more when I go out there. It probably gave me a little bit of confidence and a little bit of patience (seeing Johnson’s comeback). I feel like I’m in the best position I can be, but we’ll have to wait and see - there’s no guarantees,” added Cummins.
Cummins burst onto the world stage with a seven-wicket haul against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011 as an 18-year-old prodigy but managed to play his second Test against India at Ranchi in March this year.
BRISBANE:Pat