Cummins will play ‘major part’ in Ashes

According to chair of selectors George Bailey, Australia captain Pat Cummins will play a “major part” in the Ashes series against England this winter.

The 32-year-old was reportedly preparing to miss the series due to a back stress issue that hadn’t yet recovered.

The five-test series will begin in Perth on November 21 and there has already been no call for Cummins’ participation, according to Australia’s camp.

Cummins is “building up,” according to Bailey, and he is “optimistic” about his chances.

“We know that time is running out, and there are permutations around it, not just in the back, but also in other ways,” Bailey said.

After scans revealed lumbar bone stress in his back, Cummins was ruled out of Australia’s limited-overs series against New Zealand and India last month.

He has a history of back injuries, which caused him to miss three Australian summers in four years due to flareups in 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2015-16.

He declared that he would “take risks” and “aggressively” in his recovery in order to compete in the Ashes.

Bailey claimed that Cummins’ continued bowling as part of his rehabilitation was “getting tight” for him to be fit for the first Test.

Former captain Steve Smith will lead the team if Cummins is unable to recover in time for the opener against Perth.

Due to soreness on his side, Australia’s all-rounder Cameron Green was recently withdrawn from his squad for their one-day international series against India.

Green will be “in a good place to be ready to bowl,” according to Bailey, who described it as a “minor” injury and said it would be “in a good place to be ready to bowl.”

Bailey said, “We spent a lot of time and effort in developing the plan for him to be an all-rounder for the first Test.”