Pat Cummins set to make Scorching return

One-Test paceman Pat Cummins is confident he won’t be haunted by any mental demons when he makes his latest return from injury in Thursday night’s Twenty20 clash at the WACA Ground.

Cummins has been dogged by foot and back injuries since taking seven wickets and scoring the winning runs on his Test debut against South Africa in November 2011.

The 20-year-old made a brief playing return during Australia A’s tour of Africa in August last year, only to be struck down by more stress fractures in his back.

But after another long stint on the sidelines, Cummins has been cleared to make his Scorchers debut in Thursday night’s match against the Adelaide Strikers.

Cummins is hopeful his remodelled bowling action, in which he is a bit straighter, will help him avoid any more injury setbacks.

And after making it through two hit-outs in WA club ranks over the past fortnight, Cummins said he’s ready to fire for the Perth Scorchers.

“I’ve been bowling in the nets every couple of days for the last five or six weeks,” Cummins said on Tuesday.

“I feel really confident with where my body’s at, and I feel like it’s coming out ok.

“In terms of head space, I’m not too worried.

“I think playing the grade games were really important for me.

“Now that I’ve played the second one, I feel a lot better and comfortable going into the game.”

Cummins failed to play a game for the Scorchers last summer, but he’ll be aiming to make up for lost time as the Perth-based franchise attempt to lock up a home semi-final.

The Scorchers (4-2) sit in second spot on the table, while the fifth-placed Strikers (2-2 with one no result) are fighting to keep their finals hopes alive.

Cummins bowled at around 150km/h before his injury, but the right-arm paceman said he was unsure whether his long stint on the sidelines had affected his pace.

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