Australia’s Ashes hopes have suffered a shock as captain Pat Cummins may be out of the first match of the series to be held in Perth. The latest scan has revealed continuous stretch in the lower back, due to which he may be out of the entire five Test matches against England. The 32 -year -old fast bowler, who has been out after a July West Indies tour, has shown partial improvement, but is unable to start bowling completely – this is a serious obstacle just six weeks before the match on November 21 at the Optus Stadium.
Cummins, who has thrown more than 400 overs of career in recent years, but have been able to throw only 175 overs in 2025, complaining of pain for the first time after the Caribbean tour. Stretch in the waist bone has been detected – fracture is cured but required careful rehabilitation – they have not participated in white ball matches against South Africa, New Zealand and India. Cummins admitted in September, “It would be very sad to miss Perth,” and vowed to return “aggressive” without domestic practice matches. Nevertheless, internal sources have warned that premature joining the team is a threat to long -term loss, and possibly their return to the finals in Sydney on January 4, 2026 may be limited.
Since the captaincy was handed over in 2021, Cummins’s trusted deputy Steve Smith, 2023-24, is ready to lead the baggy greens based on his domestic summer tenure. Fast bowling reshuffles around Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazelwood, while Scott Bolland-Victoria’s home grounds have been selected as bounce master for the lively pitch of the explosive batsman-Perth. If there is a shock further, there are options such as Michael Nesar or unkapped talent Brendon Dogt and Scene Abbott.
Cummins’ dual capacity – 309 Test wickets and 2023 win in the World Test Championship, as well as England’s stay in the team in Ashes – makes their emptiness even bigger. According to George Bailey, the selectors are giving priority to the full capacity of full capacity rather than a hurry in this difficult match. England, under the leadership of Ben Stokes, are looking at the weakness between England, Australia’s aged invasion (Hazelwood 34, Stark 35, Bolland 36).
2025-26 Ashes Program: Perth (21-25 November), Adelaide (28 November-2 December), Melbourne (10-14 December), Sydney (22-26 December), Brisbane (1-5 January). As the rehabilitation increases, the fate of the Cummins is hanging in the balance, which has led to a speed in defense of Australia.
