Australia’s selectors remain confident that captain Pat Cummins will play a leading role in this winter’s Ashes series against England, despite the fast bowler’s ongoing recovery from a back stress injury.
Chair of selectors George Bailey said the 32-year-old was “building up” well in his rehabilitation and insisted the management team was “optimistic” about his availability for the five-Test series, which begins in Perth on November 21.
“We know time is getting short and there are permutations around that, not just around the back, but other factors as well,” Bailey said.
“It’s positive. We’re really confident that he’s going to play a major part. Hopefully it’s the first Test. If not, then we’ll pick it up.
Cummins, who missed last month’s white-ball series against New Zealand and India, has been managing a lumbar bone stress issue detected during scans earlier this year.
The injury renewed fears of a recurrence of the back problems that hampered the early stages of his career and sidelined him for long stretches between 2012 and 2016.
The Australian captain has made clear that he intends to take an aggressive approach to his recovery to ensure he is fit to face England.
Pat Cummins is hoping to make the Ashes this winter
|PA
“I’ll take some risks if I have to,” Cummins said recently, underlining his determination to feature in the marquee series.
Bailey stopped short of confirming whether Cummins had resumed bowling in training but admitted the race to be ready for the Perth Test was tightening.
Should the fast bowler not recover in time, vice-captain Steve Smith will again assume the leadership role, having stepped in for Cummins on several occasions in recent years.
Pat Cummins helped Australia retain the Ashes back in 2023
| PAAustralia’s preparations for the Ashes have also included managing the fitness of all-rounder Cameron Green, who was withdrawn from the one-day international squad to face India as a precaution after feeling soreness in his side.
Bailey described the issue as “minor” and confirmed that Green would return through Sheffield Shield cricket to build fitness ahead of the Ashes.
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Pat Cummins and Ben Stokes pictured during the last Ashes series
| PA“We put so much time and energy into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an all-rounder,” Bailey said.
“He was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway. The way he swings the bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we made the decision to approach this more conservatively.”
Green’s role will be central to the balance of Australia’s side, with selectors eager to field a full-strength attack for the opening match.
Cummins’ potential absence would be a major blow, given his status as one of the world’s premier fast bowlers and his leadership since succeeding Tim Paine in 2021.
Despite the uncertainty, Bailey reiterated that Cummins remains on track to feature heavily in the series.
“We’re confident he’ll be right,” he said. “The signs are good. He’s working incredibly hard, and even if he doesn’t make the first Test, we expect him to play a major part in the Ashes.”