Melbourne, 3 September 2025:
Australia captain Pat Cummins says he is prepared to be “aggressive” and “take risks” with his recovery from a back injury to be fit for the first Ashes Test against England this winter.
The fast bowler has been ruled out of Australia’s limited-overs series against New Zealand and India after scans revealed a lumbar bone stress.
Cummins, 32, admitted it would be “devastating” to miss the Ashes opener, which begins on 21 November in Perth.
“I’m never going to go into a Test unless I think I can finish it,” Cummins said. “When you’re 18 or 19, you think, ‘let’s make sure this rehab is perfect, even if it takes another six months’. Now I’m more like, ‘it’s an Ashes series, whatever it takes to play it’.
“At the end, if you’re still not 100 per cent and you need a break next year, there’s not another Ashes series.”
Cummins, who last played against West Indies in July, has been restricted to light gym work and expects he may have to enter the Ashes without any domestic cricket under his belt.
“You’re willing to take a few risks and be a bit more aggressive to try and play as many Tests as you can,” he said. “I’m confident that even without a Shield match, I can get up to speed quickly.
“There’s still about 12 weeks until the first Test. I’m doing gym work but no running or bowling yet. Once that’s right, we’ll build up to the summer.”
Cummins has battled back issues throughout his career, missing three Australian summers between 2012 and 2016. A recurrence in 2018 sidelined him from the IPL and a tour of Pakistan, but he has largely remained fit since.
He claimed 18 wickets during the drawn 2023 Ashes in England and has 91 wickets in 19 Tests against England at an average of 24.10.
