Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said captain Pat Cummins was running out of time to be fit in time for the Ashes next month, but has not been ruled out yet.
A back stress injury has cast doubt on the 32-year-old’s involvement with the pace bowler yet to start bowling again in his rehabilitation period ahead of the opening Test in Perth.
Cummins last played during Australia’s 3-0 Test series sweep of West Indies in July, where pain initially flared up, and he has been on the sidelines since, with scans indicating signs of lumbar bone stress.
“The reality is, we’re starting to get tight in terms of the times,” McDonald said.
“We’re still optimistic, hopeful, but this time next week, I think we’ll be in a position to get a better gauge on where he’s at. We’ve still got a little bit to go.
“One of the benefits with Patty is that he has had the ability to prepare for Test matches off shortened preparations.
“So if it was to be shrunken down, we’d be very confident that he would still be able to perform in the first Test.”
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Australia’s Mitchell Starc is hopeful captain Pat Cummins is able to overcome his back issues and play in the Ashes and joked that the press know more about the situation than the players
McDonald said Cummins probably needed to be back bowling a minimum of four weeks before the Perth Test to have a chance to play without running the risk of further injury.
“Myself and Patty have spoken about that type of timeframe. Or else you start to bring in other risk factors – a) you’re not skill ready, b) soft tissue injuries then become a real risk,” he said.
“And if you were to do a soft tissue injury early in a series like the Ashes, then it’s a long way back from where he’s been. So, we’ll be mindful of all those risk factors.”
The Ashes gets under way on November 21 and Cummins’ absence would be a massive blow for Australia and their hopes of retaining the Ashes which they have held since 2018.
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According to Australian outlet, The Age, Cummins had a fresh scan last week and was told that while the stress “hot spot” was healing, it has not yet cleared up enough for him to bowl.
The setback will make it difficult for him to get up to speed for the tightly-scheduled Ashes series, which runs until January 8.
Steve Smith will almost certainly be the stand-in replacement captain to face Ben Stokes’ side, with Scott Boland likely to take Cummins’ place in the bowling attack alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Pace bowler Starc remains hopeful that Cummins will recover and joked that the media knows more about the situation than the players.
“You guys seem to have more knowledge about it than any other players, so how’s Pat going?” Starc said.
“Obviously, Pat is still in his program, and has obviously got a few sets of eyes on him in his return.
“He’s in good spirits and ultra positive as always. There are still some weeks to go before we get to Perth for the Test preparation, so we’ll see where that lands. Hopefully, we see a lot of him through the summer.”
Ashes series in Australia 2025-26🏏
All times UK and Ireland
First Test: Friday November 21 – Tuesday November 25 (2.30am) – Optus Stadium, PerthSecond Test (day/night): Thursday December 4 – Monday December 8 (4.30am) – The Gabba, BrisbaneThird Test: Wednesday December 17 – Sunday December 21 (12am) – Adelaide OvalFourth Test: Thursday December 25 – Monday December 29 (11.30pm) – Melbourne Cricket GroundFifth Test: Sunday January 4 – Thursday January 8 (11.30pm) – Sydney Cricket Ground
