Australia speedster Josh Hazlewood is in doubt for the Test series against South Africa, kicking off on December 17 at The Gabba, Brisbane.
Hazlewood missed the ongoing day-night Test against the West Indies at Adelaide Oval due to a low-grade side strain. He will be travelling to Sydney on Friday for rehabilitation and will be assessed after the West Indies series.
"I feel for Joshy, he's pretty understandably flat," Cummins toldย Channel 7.
"It's a low-level strain in his side. He was a little bit sore after the last Test match, had a bowl in the nets yesterday to prove his fitness and was a bit sorer than we'd all hoped."
The 31-year-old went through a similar pattern last year during the Ashes, where he picked up a side strain against England at The Gabba. He was ruled out of the rest of the Ashes series.
Hazlewood has played only two test matches in the last 12 months, with his latest outing being the Perth Test against the West Indies. He featured in the Australia XI once during the test series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
There have been a lot of questions arising on the fact that Australia has lost two of their premium bowlers with injuries at the start of the season. The fast bowlers have been through a grind for the last three months as they played continuous cricket, including ODIs and T20 World Cup.
Stand-in captain Steve Smith was curious if Hazlewood would be available for the first test against South Africa.
"I'm not entirely sure (whether he will play)," Smith told Channel 7.
"I guess the medical staff will monitor him closely this week. Fingers crossed."
Micheal Neser and uncapped WA quick Lance Morris were called in before the second test against West Indies. In the second test, Scott Boland and Neser replacedย Cummins andย Hazlewood in the playing XI.
The quicks are expected to not feature in this year's Big Bash League games, as they have a tight window to rest before their four-match series against India.
Mitchell Starc has pulled up really well in tests with his outstanding resilience. Starc played all 10 tests against England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, claiming 22 wickets in 15 innings this year with an impressive economy of 3.08.
