It would be “devastating” for Australia skipper Pat Cummins to miss the Perth clash against England, so he will be doing everything in his power to be fit for the first Ashes Test in late November.
After tests showed evidence of lumbar bone stress in his back, the 32-year-old pace bowler has been ruled out of the forthcoming white-ball series against India and New Zealand.
“(I’m) confident we’ll do the rehab right and give it a good crack,” Cummins told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“This far out, it’s hard to know, but we’re trying to make sure we’re doing everything right to be right for Perth. It’s a big Ashes series, it doesn’t get much bigger, so you’re willing to be aggressive and take a few risks to try to play as much of the tests as you can,” he added.
In June and July, Australia defeated the West Indies 3-0 in Test matches, and Cummins said he has been taking it easy ever since.
“With bone injuries, you really just want to settle it down,” he said.
“I’m still doing a bit of gym, but no real running, no bowling. Get that right, and then we’ll build up to the summer. We’ve got loads of time, there’s about 12 weeks until the first test. We’ll see how the next little bit pans out,” Cummins added.
When he receives the all-clear from medical personnel to resume bowling, Cummins said his experience should help him get started right away.
“At this stage of my career, I feel like I can probably get up to speed a bit quicker than when I was 18 or 19. I’m pretty confident even if I don’t get a chance to play a (Sheffield) Shield game, I can get up to speed,” he added.
Australia will kick off their Ashes title defence at Perth Stadium on November 21, before moving to Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney through December and January.
