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Australia skipper Pat Cummins is ready to push the limits and do everything it takes to ensure he is fit for the start of the Ashes 2025-26 against England later this year. Cummins is currently recovering from a back injury and faces race against time to be fit for the Ashes. The 32-year-old pacer has already been ruled out of Australia's upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India.
Cummins was diagnosed with lumbar bone stress after returning from Australia's tour of West Indies, where the visitors swept the three-match Test series 3-0. The Aussie skipper is confident of recovering in time for the Ashes, which gets underway on November 21, with the first Test between India and England set to be played in Perth.
“(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,” Cummins told reporters in Brisbane.
Cummins led Australia in all three Tests against West Indies and picked up 8 wickets in the series to play his part in the visitors' 3-0 series win. While he is the captain of the side, Cummins also remains a vital cog in Australia's pace attack in Test cricket, and his absence in the Ashes opener against England will be a huge blow for the hosts.
The Australian skipper, however, is cautious not to hurry his recovery as it is a bone injury. Cummins has been advised to rest properly and do only gym work for now. He has been advised not to run or bowl until the stress settles. He feels there is enough time for him to build his bowling workload ahead of the Ashes series.
“With bone injuries, you really just want to settle it down...I’m still doing a bit of gym, but no real running, no bowling. Get that right, and then we’ll build up to the summer. We’ve got loads of time, there’s about 12 weeks until the first test. We’ll see how the next little bit pans out,” said Cummins.
Australia have a lot of options to consider in their pace attack for the Ashes opener against England in Perth, in case Cummins fails to recover in time. However, Scott Boland might be the preferred choice. 36-year-old Boland has only gotten opportunities when one of Cummins, Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood has been unfit for a Test series.
However, he has been impressive whenever he has gotten the opportunity. Boland enjoyed a terrific outing in the Test series against West Indies, where he picked up six wickets, including a hat-trick in the only Test he played in Kingston. Boland is likely to take Cummins' place in the XI if he misses the Perth Test.
