Pat Cummins back in the nets as Ashes comeback looms
Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has been spotted bowling in the nets as he works toward a timely recovery for this summer’s Ashes series, reports Sky News Australia.
The 32-year-old pacer has been ruled out of the first Ashes Test in Perth, starting November 21, as he continues rehabilitation from a lumbar bone stress injury. Cricket Australia confirmed that Steve Smith will lead the side in Cummins’ absence.
Smith has an unbeaten record as stand-in skipper, with five wins and one draw in matches where he has taken charge. Australia’s squad for the Perth Test is expected to be announced next week.
Cummins’ availability for the second Test in Brisbane will depend on how he responds during a four-week bowling programme designed to test his fitness.
A constant menace for England, Cummins has claimed 91 wickets across the last four Ashes series, topping the wicket charts in 2017–18, 2019, and 2021–22.
Having debuted as a teenager in 2011, Cummins’ early career was interrupted by repeated back injuries that kept him out of Test cricket for more than five years before his successful return in 2017.
Published on Oct 29, 2025
