Captain likely out of Perth opener
Australia captain Pat Cummins is set to miss the first Ashes Test in Perth against England as he continues to recover from lower-back stress. He has not featured since July, when discomfort first surfaced during Australia’s 3-0 Test sweep of West Indies, and subsequent scans have shown signs of lumbar bone stress.
Tight timetable before November 21 start
The Ashes begin on November 21 and run through January 8, leaving Cummins battling the clock to be fit even for the back end of the series. He already sat out Australia’s white-ball tours of South Africa and New Zealand and will also miss this month’s ODIs, plus the T20s scheduled for late October.
Latest scans and rehab status
Per reporting in Australia, a fresh scan last week indicated the back “hot spot” is improving but not sufficiently healed for him to resume bowling workloads. That makes a rapid return for the early Tests unlikely and complicates efforts to build match fitness in time.
Stand-in leadership and bowling reshuffle
Steve Smith is poised to captain in Cummins’ absence against Ben Stokes’ side. Scott Boland is the frontrunner to slot into the pace attack alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood if Cummins is unavailable for Perth.
