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Australia captain pat cummins Says it’s “least likely” he’ll be fit for ash series begins against England Next month.
The fast bowler is recovering from a lumbar strain in his lower back and has not played since July, although he has resumed running in training.
The 32-year-old faces a race to be fit for the first Test in Perth on November 21, but admitted he may be willing to gamble with his fitness given the importance of the series.
Cummins, who said he planned to resume bowling practice next week, told Cricket Australia’s official website: “You’ll probably want to spend at least a month in the nets.
“If you play a Test match, you want to make sure you are right to bowl 20 overs in a day and you don’t really have to think about it.
“So four weeks is very tough, but I think somewhere around the mark.
“I’m running today and running every other day, and each race is a little longer.
“(Then I’ll) start preparing for bowling next week. (It’s) probably a few weeks away before I actually put the spikes on and bowl on turf.
“With these things, it is quite difficult to go from not bowling or doing anything to suddenly playing five Tests.
“So the first step is to try to give (me) a chance to get it right, and then we’ll work on it.”
Cummins said Australia’s reduced schedule in early 2026 meant he could take more gambles with his fitness than he is usually prepared to.
“Next year is not as busy as other years, there is the T20 World Cup (in February-March) but most of the Test matches will not be until the end of the year,” he said.
“There’s a little bit of that aspect (taking more risks).
“There is this big range in the next six to 12 month block, but you have to evaluate it as well without taking foolish risks, which may cost you in the long run.”