Australia captain Pat Cummins has been diagnosed with a back problem, with less than three months to go before this winter’s Ashes series.
The 32-year-old has lumbar bone stress in his lower back, a typical fast bowler’s reaction to a high workload.
But Cricket Australia is confident Cummins will be fit for the first Test against England, which starts in Perth on November 21, even if he has had four months of inactivity before the series begins.
Australia remains optimistic that Pat Cummins will be fit for the #Ashes opener, despite being diagnosed with lumbar bone stress: https://t.co/ysGTX5quWr pic.twitter.com/vMrOcxa7IA
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 2, 2025
Quoted on cricket.com.au, Australia chairman of selectors George Bailey told reporters that team officials had a “full expectation that Pat will be right to go come that first Test”.
Bailey continued: “He’s certainly one… that has entered summers at different stages without a great amount of match balls at different times,”
“He’s used one-day cricket to build up. Just given how far out we are, there’s the potential for some Shield cricket in the lead-up. There’s still options there.
“If it got to the stage where they were taken off the table, I still think that we’d be comfortable with Pat’s experience and skill level.
“There’s plenty of time left – somewhere in the 80-day range. Even if match time is limited, we’re confident in his experience and preparation.”
