Cummins Maps Out Return Plan From Injury Ahead Of Ashes Series

Pat Cummins, the captain of the Australian cricket team, is dealing with a back injury and hopes to start bowling again at least a month before the Ashes series begins on November 21.

Cummins, 32, has no set timeline for his full recovery and has already been taken out of the upcoming matches against New Zealand and India. He mentioned that he's prepared to lead the team in the big Ashes opener in Perth, even if it means he won't have any practice matches beforehand.

Cummins On His Injury

"I'm imagining bowling probably exactly a month or maybe six weeks before the Ashes". Cummins stated at a sponsor event on Tuesday. "I haven't given it a deep thought about it, its still a bit of wait & watch type thing, we'll assess the situation, we still have plenty of time, so we'll find a way to ensure my comeback to the game comes smoothly, in the next few weeks it's very light with minimal running & 'zero' bowling"

His injury has brought attention to Australia's lack of experienced fast bowlers. Other key bowlers, including Josh Hazlewood and Jhye Richardson, are also facing their own injury issues.

Despite this, Cummins isn't concerned. He said the team has planned well in advance and feels confident about their reserve players. He highlighted Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett, and Sean Abbott as strong options who can step up if needed.

Cummins, however, played down any alarm.

"I feel we're very well placed at the moment, as a lot of planning goes on, it's not a planning that's done one month before the series, it's a 12-month plan, someone like Jhye Richardson, we hope he'll be available sometime in the future."

"There's (Michael) Neser, Brendan Doggett was part of the squad last year, Sean Abbott. So I'm really confident about our depth. Obviously, there will be some Shield cricket and white-ball cricket taking place. I'm really excited & confident about how things will pan out". Cummins concluded.