Australia skipper Pat Cummins has hoped to play in all five Tests of the Ashes against England later in the year, but confirmed his involvement is subject to the recovery of his back injury. The 32-year-old pacer is ruled out due to lumbar bone stress, missing Australia’s upcoming white-ball tour of New Zealand and India in October. Cummins has not competed with his bowling since the West Indies Test series in June-July, and there is no certainty of him returning.
Talking to the media on Friday, Cummins expressed his desire to captain Australia during the Ashes but said that a decision would have to be made closer to the series. He has struggled with chronic back issues throughout his career, including a significant setback in 2018 that kept him out for an entire off-season. Cummins said that he will “wait and see” for Ashes.
“There are no hard and fast plans yet,” the skipper told reporters.
“I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes,” he said.
“Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait and see.”
The opening Ashes Test is set to start in Perth on November 21. Australia last kept the urn in England in 2023 when the series had finished 2-2, but they swept the 2021-22 home Ashes 4-0, with Cummins leading the wicket tally with 21 scalps at 18.
