Cummins ready to push rehab limits to make Ashes opener

Australia captain Pat Cummins says he is prepared to be “aggressive” in his recovery from a back injury as he targets fitness in time for the opening Ashes Test against England in November, Sport360NG reports.

The fast bowler has been sidelined from Australia’s upcoming limited-overs tours of New Zealand and India after scans detected a lumbar bone stress.

Cummins, 32, admitted it would be “devastating” to miss the first Test in Perth, which begins on 21 November, and stressed he is willing to take calculated risks with his rehabilitation.

“I’ll never play a Test unless I know I can get through it,” Cummins said. “But at this stage of my career, I’m happy to be a bit more aggressive with rehab because it’s an Ashes series. If I need a longer break afterwards, so be it—there won’t be another Ashes for a while.”

Since his last Test appearance against West Indies in July, Cummins has been limited to gym work and has yet to resume bowling. He accepts he may head into the Ashes without any red-ball preparation in domestic cricket.

“You’re willing to push things to try to play as many Tests as possible,” he added. “Even if I don’t play a Shield match, I’m confident I can get up to speed quickly. There are still 12 weeks before the first Test, so there’s plenty of time to build.”

Cummins’ career has been repeatedly interrupted by back problems, costing him three home summers between 2012 and 2016, and later ruling him out of the 2018 Indian Premier League and Australia’s tour of Pakistan. However, he has enjoyed a relatively consistent run since.

The paceman claimed 18 wickets in England during the 2023 series, helping Australia retain the Ashes in a 2-2 draw. Across his career, he has taken 91 wickets in 19 Ashes Tests at an average of 24.10.