Ashes 2025-26: 'Good thing is that I'm pulling up well, the body is great' - Pat Cummins hopeful about comeback at Gabba but rest may be needed later

Pat Cummins said that he is doing well on his return to bowling after recovering from a back injury sustained earlier this year. Australia's red-ball skipper was earlier ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England, starting on November 21. However, he is looking forward to making a comeback in the second Test at The Gabba in Brisbane, commencing on December 4.

Cummins said that he will have a few bowling stints on the sidelines of the Perth Test and assess how his body copes with the workload.

"That's the aim and we're building our plan to the second Test. It's probably not until you get a bit closer that you can really know where you're at. The good thing is that I'm pulling up well and the body is great," Cummins said at the Seven Network's cricket launch on Thursday.

"We're trying to keep that second Test as a live option. I'll have a really good bowl in Perth, and by then I'll know where I'm at," he added.

Cummins said that even if he plays the Gabba Test, he may need to give his body some rest later in the series. There is an eight-day gap between the second and third Tests. However, only four days of breaks are scheduled before the fourth and fifth Tests, respectively.

"I'm pretty keen to play as much as I can. But realistically, if we have a big game and bowl 40 or 50 overs and then there's a game that starts a few days later, it might be a bridge too far. I'm trying to get right, and if I get right then hopefully I'll try to play most of it as I can," Cummins said.

Being close to the game and the conversations, I think I will need that: Cummins

Cummins recalled that he had gone to South Africa and stayed with the team ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup. He mentioned how he had benefited from watching the matches from the coach's box. The experienced campaigner wants to do something similar, as he is set to join the Australian squad in Perth during the first Test.

"Before the 2023 ODI World Cup I flew over to South Africa and watched the last couple of ODIs there. It was actually a really different view from the coach's box. It's a different perspective," Cummins said.

"So hopefully I gather some information from being in that position through the Test that later on in the series I can use. Or maybe Steve Smith needs something and I have seen something differently from up there. But being close to the game and the conversations, I think I will need that going into the second or third Test," he concluded.