Cummins plays down hip niggle, says Starc won't be rushed back

MELBOURNE : Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins has played down the impact of his longstanding hip injury, saying he is hopeful it will heal fully over time as he continues to manage it on tour in Sri Lanka.

Cummins left the Indian Premier League early to recover from the strain and was rested from the T20 series but returned in Australia's two-wicket win in the first one-day match against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Tuesday.

Australia's white ball captain, Aaron Finch, revealed this week that Cummins had been carrying the injury for more than a year.

Cummins said the injury was "nothing major at all."

"It's just been niggly for a little while," he told reporters on Wednesday. "That back end of the IPL just felt like it got really sore ... and (it was) just pretty apparent I needed a bit of a break."

Australia's pace stocks have taken a hit in Sri Lanka, with Kane Richardson ruled out of the five-match ODI series with a hamstring injury and Mitchell Starc recovering from a badly cut finger.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is sidelined with a calf strain.

Cummins said Starc had returned to bowling, but selectors were cautious ahead of the two-test series starting June 29 in Galle.

"He's a bit of a wait-and-see as well," Cummins said. "I think the plan was getting stitches out in the next day or two. We don't want to put the test series in jeopardy by re-opening that (cut) too early. A good result would be if he played some of this (ODI) series."

The second ODI is in Pallakele on Thursday.