'Less likely than...,' AUS captain Cummins breaks silence on missing Ashes opener

Australian Test captain Pat Cummins admitted not being in the selection fray for the Ashes opener later next month. Recovering from a back injury, Cummins reveals he is less likely than likely to confirm his participation for the first Test against England in Perth. With around six weeks to go for the marquee series to get underway, Cummins could be absent from the playing XI, with the hosts working on finalising the best team without him. He, however, hasn’t completely ruled himself out.

"I'd say probably less likely than likely," Cummins said of his chances of featuring in the Perth Test, at the Fox Cricket season launch event in Sydney on Monday (Oct 13). "But we've still got a bit of time.

"I'm running today and running kind of every second day, and each runs a little bit longer, and then we get into bowling prep next week. So I'm probably a couple of weeks away before actually putting on the spikes and bowling out on the turf. But it's been a good couple of weeks. Each session feels better and better,” he added.

When asked about how long it takes for him to gear up in the background to be ready in time for a Test match, Cummins said, “You'd probably want at least a month in the nets. If you are to play in a Test match, you want to make sure you are right to bowl 20 overs in a day, and you don't have to think about it. Four weeks is pretty tight, but I think somewhere around that mark.”

Upset yet realistic

Having avoided an injury of this scale for all these years, Cummins admits to being frustrated about missing the Ashes opener, but has also been realistic about his recovery time and chances of featuring in perhaps the most-talked-about Test series of the year.

"Some days I'm kind of annoyed because it's the Ashes, and it's a big summer and then other days I'm kind of realistic," Cummins said.

"I've had the last seven or eight years of almost uninterrupted home summers, so I felt like I've had a really good run as a fast bowler. Someone like Josh [Hazlewood], he's been a little bit more unlucky, so maybe it's my turn. But it's such a big summer ahead. Obviously, you want to be in a mix, even with the India One-Day series and T20 series; I wish I was part of that. But it's not to be. It's part of cricket. You're going to get injuries,” he continued.

Meanwhile, Cummins will also miss the upcoming home white-ball series against India, including three ODIs and five T20Is. The first game gets underway at the Optus Stadium in Perth on October 19.