'It’s a little bit of wait and see' - Australian skipper Pat Cummins gives injury update ahead of Ashes
Pat Cummins remains hopeful of playing all five Ashes Tests but admits his fitness will be assessed closer to the series opener in Perth.
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Australian captain Pat Cummins has revealed that he wants to be part of all five Tests during the Ashes series at home, however, he admitted that his availability will become clearer in the coming weeks. The 32-year-old quick has not played since the tour of the Caribbean in June-July this year and is currently recovering from a 'lumbar bone stress' injury.
As a result, Cummins has been ruled out of Australia’s October white-ball assignments against New Zealand and India. Speaking on Friday, September 19, he revealed that his current focus is on gym sessions and rest to aid recovery. “There are no hard and fast plans yet. 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 explained.
Despite the uncertainty, the Australian captain sounded optimistic about his progress. “Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait and see. At the moment, I’m feeling pretty good, so nothing’s changed from what it was a couple of weeks ago really," Cummins added.
Aiming for Five Tests but Keeping Options Open
Cummins reiterated that his initial goal remains to play the entire series. “The aim is five. Every summer, you kind of aim for five. This one might be a little bit different because you’re coming in a little bit different than other ones. But the starting aim is for five. Once we get closer, we’re probably going to chat through potentially more realistic situations. It’s honestly too far out to say. But the aim at the moment is to try and be ready for all of it," he said.
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The pacer further assured that he will only step onto the field if he feels physically ready. “I won’t go into a Test where I feel like I [will] break down or anything like that. I think if you’d asked me 10 years ago, I would have said I really feel like I need to play games. Now it’s centre wickets and net sessions. I’ve bowled a lot more overs. I feel like I can kind of get up to Test level pretty quickly," Cummins concluded. With the first Ashes Test scheduled at Perth Stadium from November 21, he has just over two months to get himself match-ready.
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