Pat Cummins ruled out of white-ball series against New Zealand and India

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins will be managed carefully in the lead-up to the home Ashes series, starting in November, after scans revealed a level of lumbar bone stress in his back. Cricket Australia confirmed that the 32-year-old pacer will require further rehabilitation and that he has been ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand in October and India from October to November.

The issue was detected during routine assessments following the World Test Championship Final and the tour of the West Indies earlier this year. While the scans did not show a fracture, the bone stress was deemed significant enough to demand a period of rest.

Cummins has shouldered a heavy Test workload since taking over the captaincy in November 2021. During that period, he has missed just two Tests due to injury, leading Australia to the WTC title, retaining the Ashes in England, and lifting the ODI World Cup in 2023. Across the last two Ashes campaigns, he has been central to Australia’s success, featuring in almost every Test and recently bowling 95.1 overs in four matches across England and the Caribbean, a workload that aggravated his back.

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Although one of Australia’s most dependable players in recent years, Cummins has a long history of back problems. Early in his career, recurring stress fractures repeatedly stalled his progress after his sensational Test debut in 2011. A full return only came in 2017, after which he became an ever-present figure in Australia’s attack, missing just one of the last 20 Ashes Tests.

If Cummins fails to regain full fitness before the Ashes opener in Perth, selectors are likely to turn to Scott Boland to bolster the attack. Vice-captain Steve Smith would assume the leadership role, having previously stepped in during the Sri Lanka series. Australia will be hoping their skipper recovers in time, with his presence seen as pivotal to their chances of retaining the Ashes on home soil.