Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has admitted that there is no certainty that he will play in the Ashes opener in Perth on November 21. With the Ashes just a couple of months away, news emerged that Cummins has suffered a level of lumbar bone stress which will require a careful injury management to make him fit and available for the Ashes.
Having already been ruled out of white-ball series against India and New Zealand, Cummins shed light on his injury status. “[I] had another scan on Monday, which was not terrible, but enough to know there’s a little bit there and [that I] need to be careful for the next little bit. It doesn’t feel too bad, but I’m not bowling or doing much at the moment,” Cummins said.
Depending on how well he recovers in the coming months, the Australia selectors will plan his game time in the Ashes. Whether that means Australia selectors will look at someone else like Steve Smith to lead the side through the Ashes remains to be seen.
When asked if what it would be like to miss out on the first Test at the Optus Stadium, Cummins admitted: “That would be devastating. We’ll be doing everything we can to be right for that, [and] make a few decisions a little bit closer, but [I’m] confident we’ll do the rehab right and give it a good crack. This far out it’s hard to know, but we’re trying to make sure we’re doing everything right to be right for Perth. It’s a big Ashes series, [it] doesn’t get much bigger, so you’re willing to be aggressive and take a few risks to try to play as much of the Tests as you can.”
Root of latest injury
Cummins, who led Australia to 50-over World Cup title and WTC championship, featured in the Test series in West Indies, where he is understood to have picked up the injury. Cummins, who suffered from injuries during the start of his career, admitted that he had pain in his back after he returned home forcing him to spend a few quiet weeks.
“I was a little bit sore after the West Indies, had a scan, [and] there was a little bit going on, gave it another month, [and I] have had a bit of a quiet month to help it settle down. Sometimes you may just get unlucky and you bowl lots of overs in, say, the World Test Championship final and that’s enough to start it, but through the West Indies I felt like it was a little sore but nothing [unusual] for a fast bowler. But once you get home and everything settles down, it hung around a little bit,” Cummins added.
