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Pat Cummins has not played since sustaining a lower back injury during a Test against the West Indies in July.
Pat Cummins (left) and Steve Smith (Agencies)
Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England in Perth next month, Cricket Australia announced on Monday. The governing body stated, “Cummins will not be fit in time” as he recovers from a lower back injury, and veteran batter Steve Smith will lead the team in his absence.
Australia remains hopeful that their pace spearhead will return later in the five-Test series. “Cummins has resumed running and expects to return to bowling shortly,” Cricket Australia added.
The 32-year-old has not played since sustaining a lower back injury in a Test match against the West Indies in July. Scott Boland is the likely replacement, joining fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Cummins’ race to prove his fitness has become a major storyline leading up to the first Test, starting in Perth on November 21.
“I’m still doing a bit of gym work and keeping things ticking 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 in September. “Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait and see.”
Cummins has experienced serious back issues several times over the years, including a flare-up in 2018 that kept him out of action for a full off-season. Australia coach Andrew McDonald has mentioned he may still select Cummins at some point, even if he is a “little bit underdone” in his rehabilitation.
England is bringing a pace-heavy attack for the series, spearheaded by Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse, and Mark Wood. Former fast bowler Stuart Broad intensified the rivalry between the two sides earlier this month when he claimed Australia were fielding their weakest line-up in 15 years.
“It’s probably the worst Australian team since 2010 when England last won (in Australia), and it’s the best English team since 2010,” Broad, now working as a pundit, told the BBC. “It’s actually not an opinion, it’s fact.”
However, the reality remains that England has a poor record playing in Australia. Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
They defeated England 4-0 at home in 2021-22 when Cummins was the leading bowler with 21 wickets at an average of 18. The 2010-11 series, won by the tourists 3-1, is the only Ashes in Australia since 2002-03 in which England has won a Test.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
October 27, 2025, 07:15 IST
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