Cummins could be ready to play as soon as second Ashes Test

Pat Cummins may well be available for Australia a whole lot sooner than originally expected, with the injured skipper settling into a lively practice session with the squad in Perth just days before the first Ashes Test match.

It was originally assumed that Cummins would miss much of the Aussie Summer of Cricket after suffering a back stress injury, but his appearance with the squad and several team quotes have left fans with an air of confidence.

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Several weeks ago, head coach Andrew McDonald declared that Cummins would look good before Perth and would be bowling so well; some may ask why he’s not ready to run out with the eleven on Friday morning at Optus Stadium.

“You’ll see him and it’ll almost be a question of, ‘Why isn’t he playing in Perth?'” the Australia coach said after Cummins had been ruled out of the series opener with a back stress injury. “That’s where we think he’ll be placed by that stage.”

Well, after this week’s Aus practice sessions, we’re asking the question: Cummins was peppering balls at his squadmates throughout several hot training sessions, clocking up as many as eight overs against his batting allies. He wasn’t just there for a walkthrough either, with the captain sending scorchers against the lineup to show just where he’s at.

That’s not to say he’ll be a surprise inclusion in the attack lined up for Perth — The Sporting Base understands that’ll be Scott Boland, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, and debutant Brendan Doggett — but he would have been close.

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His teammates are nearly as surprised as the rest of us, too, with wicketkeeper Alex Carey declaring he’d “had to keep a lid on it” when he saw Cummins progressing. “He looked ready to go!” Carey told SEN. “It’s the build-up now. It’s probably not so much bowling at 140, because it looked like he did that pretty effortlessly yesterday. [but] work around fitness.”

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Whether Cummins is actually ready for Brisbane or not remains to be seen, with that final call coming down to the Australian medical team sometime between Friday’s Test match opener and the second clash. That will be hosted on Dec. 4.

Brisbane being a day-night test should also help; they’re often less of a load on bowling stars.