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Sport Nation
'A travesty': Is Pat Cummins' Ashes campaign over already?
SEN • October 8th, 2025 1:54 pm
Australian captain Pat Cummins is facing an uphill battle to prove his fitness for the upcoming Ashes against England.
It is understood that Cummins is basically no chance of making it to the first Test in Perth on November 21 and the Australian medicos are weighing up whether or not to risk him at all.
Amid reports from News Corp that it is "increasingly unlikely" the Aussie skipper will be fit to play in the much-anticipated series as he battles lower back stress.
SEN Cricket's Bharat Sundaresan says it will be a "travesty" if Cummins is ruled out completely, suggesting Australia's worst fears might have been confirmed.
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"Massively so," he said on SEN Mornings.
"When I went to Brisbane a few weeks ago to interview the cricketers, generally when you ask Cummins a question about himself he is jovial and doesn’t like to linger on conversations about himself.
"You can normally make out how he is feeling by how non serious he is. You could see concern in him and in his voice.
"He said he would love to play five (Tests) and that he was aiming to be there in Perth but for the first time he didn’t sound confident. He probably knew it was not looking good.
"This is the first time I'm hearing he might miss all five and it will be a travesty. To not have him will be a big body blow. It would even tip the scale in England’s favour.
"No cricketer knows his body better than Pat Cummins. If he is playing, he won't do it unless he thinks he is ready. He will want to be fit to bowl as many overs as he wants. If he deems himself fit, I wouldn't worry about him.
"I would be a tall ask for him to play five. The fact that he has the unique ability to break games when you least expect it.
"He will be a huge loss and there's a lot to ponder for the selectors and this is not the way they will have wanted to have the six-week lead up."
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Aussie quick Josh Hazlewood isn’t sure how much cricket Cummins will play this summer.
The 32-year-old is currently in a period of rest after scans revealed a stress ‘hot spot’ in his back after the West Indies Test series in June and July. While he’s set to undergo more scans this month, which will give a clearer picture of his return to play, no update on that timeline has been made public.
Like the fans, Hazlewood is also in the dark regarding Cummins’ availability.
Still, much like the coach and captain have said, he expects the right-armer to at least play a part this Ashes campaign. How much of that series he features in is the question.
“He knows more than anyone else and probably the physios that are working closely with him,” Hazlewood said on SEN 1170 Afternoons.
“He’s getting scans sort of every now and again just to double check things and see how the healing process is going.
“A bone in the back is one you probably don't push all that much compared to some other stuff that we've gone through.
“But I feel he'll play a part at some stage. I'm not sure how much, but only he will know that as we get closer to the Ashes.”
As for Hazlewood himself, his body is in tip-top shape as he prepares for a big summer ahead, as he’s just five wickets away from becoming the ninth Aussie to take 300 Test wickets.
“It (300 wickets) has got to come at some point, I guess if I keep playing, otherwise I’m having a pretty bad tour if I don’t get there,” Hazlewood said.
“But the body's feeling good. I’ve obviously played a fair bit of cricket in the last few months, but I've got enough time off in between those tours to get some work into it, get some strength into it, and build up to what is going to be a huge summer.
“So, yeah, the body's feeling fantastic.”
The first Test between Australia and England begins on November 21 at Optus Stadium. Catch every ball of the Ashes on the Sport Nation app via SEN.
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