Australian captain Pat Cummins has declared himself and teammates Mitch Starc and Mitch Marsh fit for the fifth and final test at The Oval, despite scrutiny surrounding his performance at Old Trafford.
It comes after a drawn fourth test at Old Trafford, where Starc’s troubled shoulder continued to plague his contribution while Marsh managed “soreness”.
“Everyone should be alright,” Cummins said on Wednesday.
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Starc looked the most troubled of the Australians at Old Trafford, repeatedly clutching at his shoulder, but has recovered well according to his skipper.
“He’s got something going on there,” Cummins said of Starc’s troublesome joint.
“But he’s come out and bowled [at Old Trafford]. We weren’t really sure about it. He’s got a history with it right now.”
Marsh, who battled through the fourth test with “soreness”, according to Cummins, is likely to roll the arm over at The Oval.
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“We’ll give it another 24 hours, but we expect he’d be able to bowl,” Cummins said.
Cummins heaped praise on Starc for his durability, with his 81 Test appearances ranking behind only Glen McGrath’s 124 for the most ever by an Australian paceman.
“You don’t do that without being extremely tough,” Cummins said.
“Especially the way he bowls at 150 km/h. I reckon his pain threshold is high as I’ve ever seen. And his resilience, not only through injuries but everything he goes through.”
On his own form, Cummins said the breaks between Ashes Tests have been beneficial for he and his fellow teammates’ recoveries.
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“There have been a couple of little breaks. Two matches on, bit of a break, two matches, bit of a break. I feel really well-placed,” Cummins said.
“Starcy and Bolo (Scott Boland) and Joshy (Hazlewood) have all missed games. I feel like we’ve managed the resources really well and everyone is a pretty good spot.”
The fifth and final test at The Oval begins on Thursday night, with a win for the Australians ensuring their first series victory on English soil since 2001.
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