Australia coach backs careful management of Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc ahead of demanding 2027 schedule

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Australia coach Andrew McDonald has defended the absence of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc from upcoming ODI assignments, insisting the trio are being carefully managed with an exhausting 2027 schedule in mind.

The veteran pace attack was left out of Australia’s ODI squads for the white-ball tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh despite all three returning to action in the IPL after injury setbacks earlier this year. Cummins and Hazlewood are also set to feature in the IPL playoffs before missing the June ODI matches, while Starc has already retired from T20 internationals.

McDonald dismissed suggestions that senior players were “picking and choosing” which international series to play, stressing that all decisions are being made collaboratively with Cricket Australia medical and performance staff.

“I think there’s almost a misconception that the players are deciding where they play,” McDonald said before Australia’s departure for Pakistan. “These decisions are made around managing what we’ve got coming up.”

Australia face a brutal workload leading into the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Across a 12-month period, the team is scheduled to play up to 21 Tests, nine ODIs and five T20Is across multiple continents, alongside the IPL calendar.

By the end of the 2027 World Cup, Cummins will be 34, Hazlewood 36 and Starc 37, adding another layer of complexity to Australia’s long-term planning.

McDonald explained that the current break is viewed internally as the last major opportunity to prepare the trio physically before an intense run of cricket begins in August with a two-Test series against Bangladesh.

“We are planning for them to be there in 2027,” McDonald said. “This is the last significant break we get to invest in their bodies.”

The coach also revealed concerns remain around Cummins’ back injury, which limited the Australian captain’s appearances over the past year. Although Cummins remains committed to leading Australia through the next World Cup cycle, he has played only two ODIs since lifting the 2023 World Cup trophy in Ahmedabad.

Australia’s management is expected to continue balancing workloads carefully, especially with the IPL creating additional scheduling pressure. The 2027 calendar includes major Test series against Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand, India and England, including the one-off 150th Anniversary Test and an Ashes tour.

McDonald admitted the challenge of managing Australia’s ageing fast-bowling core will only become tougher in the coming years.

“They’ve been incredibly robust players,” he said. “But we are getting older, and that creates different management challenges.”