Cummins prepared for gruelling winter

Pat Cummins is optimistic he can safely negotiate the rigours of back-to-back World Cup and Ashes campaigns in what looms as the most physically testing few months of his career.

After more than two years free of serious injury, the star paceman has gone from being the expensive sports car confined to the garage to Australia's all-terrain four-wheel drive.

The possibility of Cummins playing 11 straight high-intensity one-dayers in the heat of a World Cup and then five Tests against Australia's biggest rivals in less than four months would once have been considered wishful thinking.

But since his injury-plagued six-year wait between his first and second Tests ended in March 2017, only two fast bowlers in the world (James Anderson and Kagiso Rabada) have bowled more overs across all formats than Cummins.

Having also taken more wickets than any of his teammates during that period, not to mention blossoming into an important lower-order batsman and being appointed a vice-captain, Cummins may be Australia's most important asset.

"The World Cup is really busy but it's about two games a week. Hopefully (I) can manage all that," Cummins told reporters in Abu Dhabi ahead of his possible return for the third ODI against Pakistan.

"You want to be playing all the games you can. I’m no different.

"It's quite a long tour so probably managing in between games and how you train, just trying to give yourself every chance to play."

Australia play each of the other nine World Cup competitors in the space of five weeks in June and early July, and their campaign will extend another week should they make it all the way to the final on July 14 at Lord's.

The opening Ashes Test begin two-and-a-half weeks later on August 1, the first of five matches against England.

With Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, who have sat out the ongoing ODI series against India and Paksitan, in a similar position as first-choice players across both Test and one-day sides, Cummins suggests Australia will need to make use of their entire squad for showpiece 50-over event.

"I got no idea how we're going to work out the World Cup schedule," said Cummins.

"I think it is going to be one of those World Cups where you do need a whole squad of 15 playing and firing because it's nine ODIs in (five) weeks.

"It's going to be quite a big ask for those guys."

While Cummins is under no illusions as to how gruelling the UK jaunt will be from a physical perspective, he's also wary of the contrasting requirements of long-form and limited-overs bowling.

The right-armer admits he developed technical flaws – jumping diagonally in his bowling load-up rather than directly towards the batter among them – in the pursuit of extra pace in limited-overs games and Tests on the subcontinent in his return two years ago.

With the input of Adam Griffith and Troy Cooley, this week appointed to bowling coach jobs for the World Cup and Ashes respectively, Cummins is confident he won't make the same mistakes.

"In 2017, I came in and played two tests in India, then lots of white ball (cricket), another couple of Tests in Bangladesh and then another few ODIs in India and I found a couple of bad habits crept in, more just from not having a swinging ball," he explained.

"I found in the last couple of years I've got a bit better at that, especially opening the bowling I’m always trying to swing the ball.

"When I’m swinging the ball, my action tends to be where I want it to be.

"I was jumping in a lot. Whether it's trying to bowl too fast and get a little more out of my action – I tend to jump in anyway but I was really jumping in (a lot) and my left leg was swinging all the way across and flicking around (my) body.

"It might get you an extra 'k' (kilometre of pace) or two but normally lose my seam and things like that. It's about trying to get a little bit straighter and stick my arm up nice and straight.

"That's going to be something I’m going to keep an eye on with the bowling coaches in England over the next few months."

Qantas Tour of the UAE

First ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

Third ODI: v Pakistan, March 27 in Abu Dhabi

Fourth ODI: v Pakistan, March 29 in Dubai

Fifth ODI: v Pakistan, March 31 in Dubai

(all matches begin at 10pm AEDT)