'Nothing’s changed from what it was a couple of weeks ago' - Pat Cummins gives injury update ahead of Ashes

Australian captain Pat Cummins said he hopes to play all five Tests during the upcoming home Ashes series, but admitted that he will gain more clarity regarding his availability in the days to come. The veteran seamer has not bowled since the tour of the Caribbean earlier this year in June-July.

He has been ruled out of the impending white-ball series in October against New Zealand and India due to a 'lumbar bone stress'. During a recent interview, the 32-year-old said that he is busy with gym work and also focusing on giving his body adequate rest.

“There are no hard and fast plans yet. I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes," Cummins told reporters on Friday, September 19.

“Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait and see. At the moment, I’m feeling pretty good, so nothing’s changed from what it was a couple of weeks ago really," he added.

Cummins is currently trying his best to get in shape to play all five Test matches. However, he will get his fitness assessed closer to the start of the series and revise his targets accordingly.

“The aim is five. Every summer, you kind of aim for five. This one might be a little bit different because you’re coming in a little bit different than other ones. But the starting aim is for five. Once we get closer, we’re probably going to chat through potentially more realistic situations. It’s honestly too far out to say. But the aim at the moment is to try and be ready for all of it," said Cummins.

I won’t go into a Test where I feel like I [will] break down: Cummins

Cummins feels that he will be able to get ready to play Test cricket even without match practice. The Westmead-born said that some net sessions should be enough for him to prepare for the red-ball challenges lined up. Cummins also assured that he won't opt to play a Test match if he feels his body could break down in the middle of it.

“Ideally, you’re playing ODIs and then you’re playing a [Sheffield] Shield game. That’s probably what the other boys are doing. That was probably my original plan, but I think we’ll work out a program where I’m ready to play," Cummins said.

“I won’t go into a Test where I feel like I [will] break down or anything like that. I think if you’d asked me 10 years ago, I would have said I really feel like I need to play games. Now it’s centre wickets and net sessions. I’ve bowled a lot more overs. I feel like I can kind of get up to Test level pretty quickly," he concluded.

The first Ashes Test is set to be played at the Perth Stadium from November 21 onwards. So, Cummins has a little more than two months to get ready for the start of the high-voltage series.