Cricket Australia (CA) has dealt a couple of blows already on Tuesday, September 2. After seeing Mitchell Starc announce his T20I retirement, they have received a tough news on leader Pat Cummins. The ODI World Cup 2023 winning captain has been ruled out of all cricketing action until the Ashes, which begins later this year. This means Cummins will miss the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India after a bone stress was found in his back.
No Cummins means advantage for India
Now, in order to make Cummins fit for the Ashes, Australia will keep him away from any action on the field. This will certainly give India an advantage going into the bilateral series against the Aussies. Mind you, India are scheduled to play three ODIs and five T20Is. Superbly, the Indian fan zones have already been sold out across all these games Down Under. The reason being the return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who will play their first match for India after the ODI Champions Trophy final in February.
Even they would breathe a sigh of relief, as they don’t have to face Pat Cummins on fast Aussie surfaces. The right-arm pacer has had enough success against the legendary duo, having dismissed them 19 times (combined) across international cricket.
“Cummins was rested from recent T20 series against the West Indies and South Africa. Despite this planned de-load period, Cummins has experienced some ongoing lower back pain following the West Indies Test tour,” a CA statement said.
“Further investigation has identified a level of lumbar bone stress that will require further management over the coming months. Cummins won’t be considered for the upcoming limited-overs series against India and will continue his rehabilitation plan with a return to bowling to be determined as part of his Ashes preparation.”
Race against time for Ashes?
Cummins has been sidelined with lumbar bone stress in his lower back, which has also put his Ashes preparation in serious doubt. He might miss the opening Test at Perth, starting November 21.
Cummins has bowled far less than usual in 2025. Across all formats he has managed just 175.1 overs, including 95.1 in four Tests against South Africa and West Indies earlier this year. By comparison, he had sent down more than 400 overs in each of the last three calendar years. The reduced workload was part of a deliberate build-up towards the Ashes, but lingering soreness after the Caribbean tour meant more investigation and the discovery of bone stress.
It is a worrying development given Cummins’ history. Stress fractures plagued the early part of his career, keeping him out of Test cricket for nearly six years between 2011 and 2017. Since then he has been Australia’s most durable fast bowler, captaining the side in both Tests and ODIs.
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