Australian quick Pat Cummins will crank up the speed in his final days with the ACT Comets, declaring himself fit for an international recall against South Africa next week.
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Cummins and Australian bowling partner Josh Hazlewood are making a low-key cameo for the Comets in their Futures League clash against the Western Australia second XI at Chisholm Oval.
But a flat pitch gave the Western Australia batsmen some reprieve and made Cummins and Hazlewood bend their backs, which was perfect given they're both recovering from stress lumbar bone issues.
Cummins says a long day in the field in front of only a handful of dedicated cricket fans was the perfect place to help him find his rhythm and pace as he eases his way back after almost six months.
He opened the bowling with Hazlewood, who claimed the Comets' first wicket, but the nippy Cummins finished with figures of 0-40 off his 11 overs. Wickets would have been nice, but the No. 1 goal was always match practice.
"It feels really good at the moment. The good thing about coming back gradually is that you can build things up slowly and work on your action and rhythm before you're in a high-pressure situation," Cummins said.
"Especially in these games, it felt great. I can concentrate on trying to bowl well and not worry about too much else. I'm really happy with how the last few months and can't wait to start playing for Australia soon.
"I can see the light [at the end of the tunnel]. The good thing is we knew if we got the injury recovered properly, there's so much cricket coming up.
"That helped Josh and I be a bit patient rather than times like in the past trying to rush for selection on certain tours. It's a shame to miss the games in Dubai, but there's so much more cricket coming up."
Cummins and Hazlewood are expected to return to the Australian set-up for a one-day series against South Africa, which starts in Perth on November 4.
Australia will also host India and Sri Lanka this summer, including a historic Test at Manuka Oval in February, as part of a packed four-month schedule.
Cricket Australia opted to have Cummins and Hazlewood play for the Comets instead of NSW in a Sheffield Shield contest to be able to manage their workload to avoid over-use injuries in the early days of their comebacks.
But Cummins and Hazlewood have earned high praise for the way they've approached their duties in canberra, with Hazlewood carrying the drinks for two hours on the opening day of the match.
The duo bowled 22 overs each for NSW Metro last week and another 11 overs each for the Comets, which will likely be their last game for the one-day international against South Africa.
Cummins will likely be used in a short-burst against Western Australia on Wednesday morning before trying to help the Comets chase victory on the final day of the match.
"I'll be right and up for selection for the ODIs, so fingers crossed straight over there and back into it," Cummins said.
"I felt pretty good, bowled some quick balls and quick over. But for me the run-up speed and tempo is really important, and trying to go from the nets to a big game can be quite tough to find that.
"This is a good middle ground where it's good competition, you can bowl 100 per cent and I feel like I am at the moment. The body feels great ... you've got to bowl a lot of overs before Test matches. So this means we can get a few overs, play the ODIs and then get into the Tests as well."
Former Queanbeyan star Henry Hunt made 208 in the first innings to put the Comets in a commanding position, eventually declaring at 8-384.
That gave Cummins and Hazlewood a six-over burst before lunch, with Hazlewood removing Jake Carder to have the visitors at 1-10.
Western Australia withstood the Cummins-Hazlewood combination and finished the day at 4-241, with Aaron Hardie finishing 71 not out and Sam Whiteman chipping in with 54.
Hazlewood was at his economical best, restricting the batsmen to just 23 runs off his 11 overs, while Nathan McAndrew, Greg West and Tom Engelbrecht took the other wickets.
