Australia Test captain Pat Cummins is likely to miss the first Ashes Test against England due to a lower back injury. He might even miss the entire five-Test series starting November 21 in Perth. The star bowler hasn’t started bowling yet and needs 4-6 weeks of training to get match-ready, making his participation in the opener “effectively impossible,” reports CODE Sports.
As per Australian media, recent scans show his back is healing, but medical staff are being cautious about rushing his return. They want to protect his long-term health, especially given his importance to the team as both captain and premier fast bowler.
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“There’s not much you can do to speed it up unfortunately,” Cummins had told news.com.au last month on the subject. He explained that he’s currently limited to gym work and cycling, focusing on rest while gradually building up to bowling again.
Former Australian fast bowler Brett Lee had stressed to the same media outlet the importance of Cummins being fully fit before returning.
“He’s better off waiting until he is 100 per cent fit because what they don’t want to do is play him in the first Test, 90 or 80 per cent fit, and he goes and injures his back again. Then he’s buggered for the whole summer,” Lee said.
If Cummins is absent,
Steve Smith will take over as captain, with Scott Boland joining the bowling attack. Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are preparing for the series by playing white ball games against India and Sheffield Shield matches.
Cummins has been remarkably durable since his 2017 Test return, missing only a few matches. He reached a milestone this year, becoming the eighth Australian bowler to take 300 Test wickets. His last absence was during the Sri Lanka tour, when he took time off for the birth of his second child and to recover from an ankle injury.
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