Cummins unlikely for Perth Ashes opener as back injury lingers

Australia captain Pat Cummins is unlikely to be fit for the Ashes opener in Perth on November 21 and may miss a larger portion of the five Test series after scans showed a lower back stress injury has not yet healed sufficiently for him to resume bowling, team and medical updates indicate. The 32 year old has returned to running but remains some weeks away from bowling on turf, leaving vice‑captain Steve Smith the probable stand‑in skipper and Victoria quick Scott Boland the most likely candidate to take Cummins’s place in the pace attack for the early matches.

Cummins, who has not bowled since Australia’s Test series in the Caribbean in July, told reporters he regarded his chances of playing in Perth as “probably less likely than likely.” He said he had begun running every other day and expected to start bowling preparation within a couple of weeks, but added Test readiness required roughly a month of net work to be able to deliver 20 overs in a day without thinking about it. Medical updates have reported the stress hotspot in his lumbar area is healing but not cleared for the volumes of bowling needed in Test cricket.

Coach Andrew McDonald acknowledged the timetable is tight,...