The Australian captain has provided a major update on his fitness, revealing that he could miss the 2025–26 Ashes series against England as he works to recover from the injury.
Pat Cummins, 32, is sidelined for Australia’s ongoing T20I series in New Zealand due to the bone stress in his lower back. Early in his career, the fast bowler faced several injury setbacks, and this latest issue adds to that history.
Following the West Indies tour, scans confirmed the stress reaction, and Pat Cummins is now focused on returning in time for the crucial Ashes series. Since rejoining the team in 2017, he has shown remarkable resilience, featuring in nearly every Test despite a career-long battle with stress fractures.
“Can’t Just Jump from No Bowling to Bowling Tomorrow”—Pat Cummins on His Recovery
Pat Cummins revealed that he is currently limited to gym sessions, walks, and “some cycling,” and may need up to three more scans to determine whether he will be fit for the series opener.
“We’ll probably use one or two, maybe even three scans to track how my back is responding. But, as with many injuries, you also rely on clinical signs and how you’re feeling—your symptoms. It’s important to make sure everything is progressing as expected. There are always multiple factors, but we have some time. Obviously, you can’t just go from no bowling to bowling tomorrow, so there will be a ramp-up period alongside the physios,” Cummins told news.com.au.
If Pat Cummins is ruled out, Scott Boland could join the pace attack alongside Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, supported by Nathan Lyon’s spin. Steve Smith may also take on the captaincy in Cummins’ absence.
“There’s not much you can do to speed it up, unfortunately. There’s some marginal science we prefer to avoid. It’s really just rest and avoiding anything that might hinder healing, knowing we have time to gradually get back into bowling. I’m still doing gym work, mostly unrestricted, and some cycling. Right now, the priority is resting my back. Once we start the ramp-up, we’ll increase workload gradually,” he added.
