Burgeoning Pat Cummins is eager to contribute more with the bat for Australia. 

Cummins has been used in eighth position in the batting order for the ongoing Test series against India – and has scored 58 runs in four innings.

He averages 19.22 in 16 Tests since November 2011’s debut – and struck a maiden half-century against South Africa at the Wanderers in Johannesburg earlier this year.

‘I put a lot of pride in my batting,’ he told AAP.

‘I know as a bowler how frustrating it is if the tail’s hanging around and you’re bowling more overs than I suppose you might think you had to at a certain point in time.

‘Like most tail-enders, I probably find it hard to score runs sometimes, so for me it’s just about trying to protect my wicket and face as many balls as I can.’

The 25-year-old won’t compete in the 2019 Indian Premier League and is determined to become a permanent fixture on Australia’s contract list for the foreseeable future. He is currently contracted for the 2018-19 season.

‘As fast bowlers we put ourselves through a lot. I guess every sport has long-term contracts, so I just asked the question of seeing if I could do something longer term,’ added Cummins.

‘I know next year, it’s a really tight schedule around the IPL, so I opted out.’

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images