Over the years, Pat Cummis has had a history of sustaining serious back issues, including an injury he suffered in 2018, which kept him out of action for a full season
Pat Cummins (Pic: File Pic)
As Australia skipper Pat Cummins continues to recover from his injury, the pacer is hopeful of featuring in all the five Test matches of The Ashes series.
He has been ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India due to 'lumbar bone stress'. The three-match ODI series between Team India and Australia will kick start on October 19, with the first game scheduled to be played at the Perth Stadium.
Later, the Aussies will engage with the "Men in Blue" for the five-match T20I series, starting October 29.
"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," Cummins added.
Over the years, the pacer has had a history of sustaining serious back issues, including the injury he suffered in 2018, which kept him out of action for a full season.
Speaking more about his recovery, the 32-year-old said, "It's honestly too far out to say. But the aim at the moment is to try and be ready for all of it".
Meanwhile, Australia coach Andrew McDonald said this week he was confident that Cummins would play a key part in the Ashes.
But he acknowledged to SEN radio that the uncertainty around Cummins "is not ideal", but it was an "overreaction" to say the skipper would not play.
"It's not ideal. I'm not going to sit here and say that it's ideal," McDonald told the radio station.
The first Ashes Test against England in Perth starts on November 21. Australia retained the Ashes in England in 2023 after the series ended in a 2-2 draw. They enjoyed a 4-0 sweep of England at home in 2021-22. Cummins was the leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 18.
Earlier in the year, Australia's star pacer, Mitchell Starc, had announced his retirement from the T20 Internationals. The pacer will now continue to focus on his One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test career.
(With AFP Inputs)
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