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Pat Cummins says he will do whatever it takes to play the Ashes against England starting in November, with the Australian skipper prepared to “take a few risks” with a back injury that has sidelined him.
The 32-year-old pace spearhead has been ruled out of upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India with “lumbar bone stress”, casting a shadow over Australia’s Ashes preparations.
He has not bowled since their Test tour of the West Indies in June-July, restricted to just light gym duties with no date set for a return.
The first Ashes Test starts in 12 weeks in Perth and Cummins told cricket.com.au he was “willing to take a few risks” to fast-track his recovery.
“I’m never going to go into a Test match unless you think you can finish the Test match,” he said.
“But when you’re 18 or 19, you’re like, ‘Let’s make sure this is the perfect rehab, whether it takes an extra six months’. Whereas I’m happy to be a bit like, ‘Well, it’s an Ashes series, whatever it takes to play it’.”
“Then, say, at the end, if you’re still not 100 percent and you need to then have a bit of a break next year, there’s not another Ashes series.”
Whether he fronts up in Perth remains to be seen with medical staff set to “reassess” him in a month’s time. It will also depend on how fellow quicks Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are faring.
Cummins has suffered serious back issues several times over the years, including a flare-up in 2018 that kept him out of action for a full off-season.
But he has missed just one Test through injury since taking over as Test captain four years ago and said the current problem felt “worlds away” from his previous troubles.
“I’ve bowled a lot over the last few years, so something was bound to happen at some point. But hopefully I get this right and don’t miss too much cricket,” he said.
Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023, after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
They also enjoyed a 4-0 sweep of England at home in 2021-22. Cummins was the leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 18.
The first Test starts on November 21.
