Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has provided fresh details of the pain he battled through in the final Ashes Test after a wrist fracture that has ruled him out of the upcoming one-day series against South Africa.
Cummins was able to bowl throughout the fifth Test against England at The Oval but looked in discomfort while batting, which is surprising given he was able to score an impressive 36 off 86 deliveries.
The all-rounder revealed after the series that he had picked up the injury after a fracture caused by a dive in the field.
Cummins revealed the extent of the pain caused by the injury.
"It hurt day one when I did it and it hurt a lot when I was batting, but I didn't think it was too bad," Cummins said, viaย Cricket.com.au.ย
"Then with each day it got a little bit sorer so I knew it was probably bone as opposed to a muscle (issue)."
The first phase of Australia's white-ball trip, a three-match T20 series beginning on August 31, was already confirmed to be played in the absence of Cummins.
It was hoped that the Australian captain would be available for the five ODIs against the Proteas that would follow, but Cummins now seems more likely to be available for a three-match series in India at the end of September, just before the ODI World Cup.
Although national selector George Bailey stated at the time that Cummins was likely to share the ODI captaincy for the five-match series against the Proteas that begins on September 7, Cummins was named as captain for Australia's extended 18-man ODI World Cup squad that will be trimmed to 15 before the tournament proper.
It is believed Cummins is most likely to play against India in the three matches from September 22 ahead of the World Cup.
"I'll head over to South Africa at the back-end of that leg," Cummins said.
"But we're probably looking more at those one-dayers ahead of the World Cup. It shouldn't be too bad. Another few weeks and it'll be right."
Australia will now look to appoint a temporary captain for the series, with current T20 captain Mitch Marsh among the potential names. Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood and Alex Carey will also remain in contention, having captained the one-day side previously.
"I haven't thought about it too much to be honest. We'll play this World Cup and then assess it after that," Cummins said of the ODI captaincy.
"The good thing is we've got a few options (for South Africa).
"(Marsh) is probably the most obvious one if he's doing the T20s as well."
Marsh's appointment as Australia's newest T20 skipper joins the part of achievements since his resurgence into international cricket. Marsh replaced Cameron Green in the third Ashes Test and notched a century in his first innings, followed by a half-century in the next test.
"He's always been a huge member of the team, a real leader," Cummins said about Marsh.
"As a captain, that's what you want, a guy that's going out there, taking the game on, someone we can all get behind. Off the field, he's just a great people person. His energy's infectious, he's great to hang around with, always good fun."
