Huge test beckons for young fast bowler

Cummins celebrates one of three wickets in an over on debut 

My associate Chris and I are frequently discussing sports, be it poor showings by a referee, a goal keeping howler or a coach's sacking. Here's some insight into such a discussion, the topic being the selection of a young fast bowler, Patrick Cummins, into the Australian test cricket squad.


Chris: Cummins got a few wickets the other night.


Nathan: Yeah, his international T20 bowling average is like 10!
Pretty big call to select him in the test squad though, not that I think he'll actually play.
But... if there's an injury, he's playing test cricket after just three first class matches.


Chris: Personally I wouldn't chuck him in too early. Test cricket is mentally straining and he's only a kid.
Are you going to be able to chuck him the ball when South Africa are 0-230 and expect him to make a breakthrough?


Nathan: I think he'd be better served with a season of Sheffield Shield cricket first.


Chris: Agreed. Clearly the physical potential is there.


Nathan: Definitely, he can bowl wicket taking deliveries at test level but I don't think he's ready physically or mentally.


Chris: He's still growing, literally. We must nurture this diamond.


Nathan: If he has to bowl 65 overs in a match he won't be able to back up.
Give him a year of Shield cricket first, if not only to prove himself, but as a training platform as well. Training his body to bowl lots of overs. I'm sure he can play ODI's and T20's for now, I'm sure he will actually, and he'll probably do well, but test cricket, that I'm not sure about just yet.


What do you think about Patrick Cummins fast tracking into Australia's test squad. Are the selectors looking for anything they can find in a period of poor test form or is Cummins truly up to the task at hand?