Pat Cummins has officially been ruled out of the opening Ashes Test against England in Perth, with former captain Steve Smith set to lead Australia in the series opener starting November 21.
Cummins, who had hoped to resume bowling at least four weeks before his return, has yet to start bowling as he continues recovering from the back stress injury sustained during Australia’s tour of the West Indies in June.
Smith, who has captained Australia in 40 Tests, last led the side in February this year during their 2-0 series victory in Sri Lanka.
Head coach Andrew McDonald expressed optimism that the 32-year-old Cummins will be fit in time for the second Test in Brisbane, scheduled to begin under lights on December 4.
“We’ve grappled with it for a little while. The nature of the injury is that you never know and you’re sort of taking it a day by day. We’ve run out of time. We flagged this a week or so ago that it will take four-plus weeks to get him up and running. We’ve run out of time unfortunately, but really optimistic and hopeful for the second Test match,” McDonald told reporters in Canberra.
“He’ll be back bowling this week, and that’s a huge step. That was the big variable that we wanted to add in. We’re on the journey to that second Test match, and very hopeful that that will be a positive outcome.”
McDonald confirmed that Cummins will still travel to Perth with the Test squad. “Patty will be around the group as well, he’ll come to Perth… and it’ll almost be one of those things where you’ll see him and it’ll almost be a question of, ‘Why isn’t he playing in Perth?’ That’s where we think he’ll be placed by that stage,” he said.
The coach also hinted that Scott Boland, who boasts a remarkable average of 12.63 with the ball in home conditions, is likely to step in for Cummins in the Perth Test. “Losing your captain’s not ideal, but when you talk about Scott Boland being the potential replacement, it’s not a bad position to be in,” McDonald noted.
“Ideally, we want the captain available for stability and decision-making. But Steve Smith will slide into that position,” he confirmed.