Australia Captain Cummins Ruled Out of First Ashes Test

AFP/APP

Sydney: Injured Australia captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test against England in Perth next month, Cricket Australia announced Monday in a statement.

The governing body said “Cummins will not be fit in time” as he continues to recover from a lower back injury, adding that veteran batter Steve Smith will lead the side in his absence.

Australia remain hopeful that their pace spearhead will return later in the five-Test series.

“Cummins has resumed running and expects to return to bowling shortly,” Cricket Australia said.

The 32-year-old fast bowler has not played since sustaining the injury during a Test match against the West Indies in July.

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Scott Boland is expected to fill the vacant spot in the lineup, joining fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

Cummins’ race to regain fitness has been one of the major storylines in the buildup to the first Test, scheduled to begin in Perth on November 21.

“I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things ticking over, but with this kind of injury, it’s rest first — then we’ll build back and work toward the Ashes,” Cummins said in September.

“Still really hopeful to be part of the Ashes. But it is a little bit of a wait and see.”

Cummins has battled serious back issues several times throughout his career, including a flare-up in 2018 that sidelined him for an entire off-season.