Pat Cummins has already been ruled out of the T20I series in New Zealand.
According to CODE Sports, Australia captain Pat Cummins will have a scan this week, which is likely to reveal evidence of a back problem. How the team manages him in upcoming matches will depend on the severity of the issue.
Cummins has already been ruled out of the T20I series in New Zealand, and it is uncertain whether he will play in the ODI series against India or in the Sheffield Shield. He first felt tightness in his back after returning from the Caribbean, following Australia’s 3-0 Test series win. While Cricket Australia says the scan is routine, the possibility of a back problem is worrying with the Ashes just over two months away.
CODE Sports reports that the scan is expected to reveal some issue that Australia will need to manage before the Ashes. Cummins will miss the T20s against New Zealand, and his participation in the ODIs against India is also doubtful.
“It’s understood a routine back scan undertaken by Cummins is set to show an issue of some sort that will need to be managed by Australia in the lead-up to the Ashes,” wrote Ben Horne for CODE Sports. “Cummins will miss next month’s T20s against New Zealand and he may also be in doubt for one-dayers against India in October.”
Cricket Australia is hopeful that Cummins will be ready for the start of the Ashes. If he misses any or all Tests, it will increase pressure on fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland. Australia’s pace reserves are already limited, with Lance Morris and Spencer Johnson unavailable, and Jhye Richardson not expected to be fit at the start of the summer.
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Australia may need to manage Pat Cummins carefully during the Ashes, similar to how India managed Jasprit Bumrah in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series against England. Before that series, it was clear that due to fitness and workload concerns, Bumrah would not play all five Tests and was limited to three matches to avoid injury and manage his body.
A similar situation could happen with Pat Cummins. He has been struggling with back issues, and playing the full Ashes series might be too demanding. As captain and an important player, Australia will probably look after Cummins’ workload because of the busy schedule ahead, which includes the white-ball series against India, the Ashes, and next year’s T20 World Cup. This will help him stay fit for big matches and avoid serious injuries.
If Cummins ends up playing only three matches in the Ashes, Steve Smith will lead the team in the remaining games, as he has already been captaining Australia in Cummins’ absence.
