Concerns about Cummins' fitness for the first Ashes Test remain unclear when he will return

Concerns about Cummins' fitness for the first Ashes Test remain unclear when he will return

Pat Cummins' chances of returning for the first Ashes Test are getting thinner day by day, as there are only six weeks left for the test, and he remains untested till now to bowl for the series in Perth.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Cummins had undergone surgery for his lumbar bone stress issue in his lower back, which shows that he has made some improvement, but he is not fit to bowl again.

There is no such news from Cricket Australia for the return of Cummins or his unavailability, but we understand that he might continue his rehabilitation to get fit, as his return decisions are still pending, as well as his involvement in the opening Test or the entire Ashes series.

Pat Cummins hasn’t bowled since Australia’s last Test in Jamaica back in July. After revealing a lumbar issue in early September, he said he was willing to take some risks to be ready for the Ashes even if that meant skipping warm-up matches.

But now, the time needed to safely build up his bowling workload before the first Test in Perth on November 21 is tighter than Cricket Australia’s medical team would usually allow.

Cummins has been working on leg strength but hasn’t done any rotational training yet. That’s a concern, especially since he’s had to manage soft tissue and ankle injuries in recent years with carefully planned build-ups.

Last year, he skipped Australia’s white-ball tour of the UK to focus on a 10-week training block before the Border-Gavaskar series, but still played only a few games before the first Test.

With the Ashes schedule offering eight-day breaks after the first two Tests, there’s a chance Starc, Hazlewood, and Boland could carry the load until the third Test in Adelaide. But the short gaps between the last three Tests Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney mean Australia will need fresh bowlers later in the series.

That was evident in the 2023 Ashes in England, where Mark Wood and Chris Woakes dominated the final matches after missing the first two. India’s Jasprit Bumrah, on the other hand, suffered a back injury in the final Test last summer after heavy bowling loads.

Starc and Hazlewood are part of Australia’s ODI squad for the India series starting October 19, and Hazlewood is also in the T20I squad for the first two games. Both are expected to play a Sheffield Shield match on November 10. Boland has already bowled 35 overs in Victoria’s first Shield game and may play one more, but not all four.

As for backup options, Michael Neser impressed with six wickets in 43 overs against Tasmania, though he’s returning from a major hamstring injury. Brendan Doggett missed the first Shield round due to a minor hamstring issue but should play next week. Sean Abbott, left out of the ODI squad, might return to Shield cricket soon and is in the T20I squad for October 29 and 31.

If Cummins isn’t fit in time, Australia will need a new Test captain. Steven Smith is the most likely choice, having led the team 40 times and filled in six times since Cummins took over in 2021. Travis Head is the other vice-captain but is less likely to be handed the role.