Quicks will need a varied skillset to conquer the “tired” pitches in the UAE, senior Australia pacer Pat Cummins said ahead of their T20 World Cup opener versus South Africa in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah hosted the matches of the second leg of this year’s IPL, and fast bowlers face the prospect of bowling on pitches that have had a fair bit of wear and tear over the past one month.

“A couple of wickets have been tired and a couple times, you get some really good

wickets. In T20 cricket, you got to have a few different varieties. Bowling with a new ball upfront is going to look quite different to how you bowl in the end.

“So you’ve got to be able to adapt and have two or three different spells within the

20 overs,” Cummins said during a media interaction on Thursday.

According to the 28-year-old, conditions in the UAE would significantly differ depending on match timing, as bowlers need to adjust accordingly. “The night games tend to be a bit more batter-friendly. There’s a bit of dew around and the ball skids on whereas the day games are a bit drier.

“I think the biggest difference is when we talk about it being dry. That kind of brings in the slower balls.

“As for the night games, if they start sliding on, you’ve got to look at other options. Maybe it’s yorkers, bouncers and other different deliveries where the pitch is friendly for us bowlers,” Cummins explained.

The Australia vice-captain dismissed concerns over his lack of match practice leading into the showpiece event and the Ashes, declaring himself “ready to go” for both the assignments.

Cummins sat out of competitive cricket for more than five months, choosing to stay at home in Sydney with his pregnant partner Becky instead of touring the West Indies and Bangladesh for the limited-overs matches.

A late arrival to Australia’s World Cup squad in the UAE this month after the birth of the couple’s first child, Cummins returned to action with figures of 0/33 from four overs in Wednesday’s warm-up match versus India in Dubai.

It was Cummins’ first match of any kind since the first leg of the IPL got postponed in May.

“It was good to have a really good, solid five months of work. I feel really refreshed. I was absolutely chomping at the bit to get over here and play the Ashes after this as well,” Cummins said.

He, however, was allowed to train with New South Wales during the Covid-19 lockdown in Sydney. A series of centre-wicket practice sessions with NSW helped Cummins regain his speed.