Australian mainstay skipper Pat Cumminsrecently expressed that it will be 'devastating' to not be a part of the 2025–26 Ashes, and that he will be willing
to embrace some risks to being fully fit. The 32-year-old had complained of back pain before medical scans revealed a level of lumbar bone stress, ruling him out of cricketing action for some time.
Cummins has been ruled out for the white-ball series against New Zealand and India. He labelled the upcoming Ashes as a 'big' one, and it was quite clear that he would want to be a part of the red-ball squad. The Sydney-born also admitted that even if he does not get an opportunity to play domestic cricket ahead of the Ashes, he will be more than ready to hit full throttle.
"That would be devastating, so we'll be doing everything we can to try to be right for that and try to make a few decisions a little bit closer, but confident. Do the rehab right and give it a good crack. It's a big Ashes series. It doesn't get much bigger, so I think you're willing to take a few risks and be a little bit aggressive to try and play as much Test [cricket] as you can," stated Cummins, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"At this stage of my career, I feel like I can probably get up to speed a bit quicker than when I was 18 or 19. Back then, you probably feel like you need to play a few [Sheffield] Shield games or one-dayers. I'm pretty confident even if I don't get a chance to play a Shield game, I can get up to speed," he added.
12 weeks still go for first Test: Cummins
The New South Wales cricketer shared the routine which he has been following for now. Despite the setback, the senior pacer was not too bothered by the injury and commented that he will be taking it one step at a time.
"It doesn't feel too bad, but I'm obviously not bowling or doing too much at the moment. With bone injuries, you really just want to settle it down. I'm still doing a bit of gym, but no real running, no bowling. Get that right and then we'll build up to the summer. We've got loads of time, there's about 12 weeks until the first Test. We'll see how the next little bit pans out,'' he noted.
Cummins last represented Australiaagainst West Indies in the three-match Test series. He did not feature in the five-match T20I series which followed the red-ball leg, and was subsequently unavailable for the home series against South Africa as well. He is also set to miss the series against India to keep himself fully fresh for the Ashes versus England.
