Pat Cummins wants to play international cricket for another five years but the Australia captain has already experienced one period of burnout which forced him to reassess the balance in his life.
The 30-year-old paceman played his first Test as a teenager in South Africa in 2011 but did not play his second until six years later as he was nursed through a series of injuries.
Once he did return to Australia’s colours, however, he quickly discovered the almost unrelenting demands on the top modern players.
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Australia’s Steve Smith does not expect England to change the way they play as they head into the Ashes series this summer
“Cricket’s basically 12 months of the year,” he told former England footballer Rio Ferdinand on the Get Real with Rio vodcast.
“There’s always a cricket game going on somewhere, and I played non-stop for a year or two. This is about four or five years ago, I kind of just came back from injuries.
“And I was just spent, like burnt out, and I just remember thinking, ‘Jeez, I’m 25 here but I want to do this until I’m 35. I’ve got to find a way to balance all these different things’.”
Cummins’ last action came on Australia’s tour of India earlier this year, which he left early to return home to be with his terminally ill mother.
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Former England bowler, Ashley Giles and managing director of the England side, Rob Key have differing opinions on whether Australia’s Steve Smith should be allowed to play county cricket in England ahead of this summer’s Ashes
He said her death from breast cancer in March was still “pretty raw”, but he was glad he had been able to spend time with her and his family at the end.
“I think it hits home the kind of person you want to be, the kind of father you want to be. So, from that side, it’s been quite good – lots of memories,” Cummins said.
“But in terms of the grief I guess we’ll keep working through that.”
Next up for Cummins and Australia is the World Test Championship final against India at The Oval from June 7 to 11, followed quickly by the five-Test Ashes series against England. Both are live on Sky Sports.
When is The Ashes?
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England captain Ben Stokes says that his side won’t change the way they play against Australia in the Ashes
Ben Stokes will lead England for the first time in an Ashes series, with the hosts looking to regain the urn for the first time since 2015, and – after a four-day Test against Ireland – it will all begin at Edgbaston on Friday, June 16.
The series will then move onto Lord’s (June 28-July 2) and Headingley (July 6-10), the scene of Stokes’ 2019 heroics, before finishing at Emirates Old Trafford (July 19-23) and The Kia Oval (July 27-31).
Watch every match from the men’s and women’s Ashes live on Sky Sports. You can also follow videos and over-by-over text commentary across Sky Sports’ digital platforms. Live coverage of the first Test is live from June 16-20 on Sky Sports Cricket.
