Steve Smith to lead Australia for Ashes opener in Pat Cummins' absence
Cummins admits he might not play all four remaining matches
32-year-old has been sidelined by a lower-back injury since July
Australia captain Pat Cummins is on track to return for the second Ashes Test but admitted that he might not play all four remaining matches against England, given the short turnarounds between games.
Australia will be captained by Steve Smith as Cummins will miss the all-important Ashes opener due to a back injury and even though he expects to be bowling full tilt by the first Test, a decision on his return will be taken closer to the second Test starting December 4.
The 32-year-old, who has been sidelined by a lower-back injury since July, was able to bowl a spell of eight overs without feeling any pain in his back on Wednesday.
"That's the aim and we're building our plan to the second Test. It's probably not until you get a bit closer that you can really know where you're at," Cummins was quoted as saying by 'cricket.com.au' on Thursday.
"The good thing is that I'm pulling up well and the body is great. We're trying to keep that second Test as a live option. I'll have a really good bowl in Perth, and by then I'll know where I'm at," added Cummins.
Cummins, however, may not feature in each of the four Tests after missing the opener at Perth starting on November 21 in order to manage his workload.
"I'm pretty keen to play as much as I can. But realistically, if we have a big game and bowl 40 or 50 overs and then there's a game that starts a few days later, it might be a bridge too far," he said.
While there is a long gap between the second and third Tests to be played at Brisbane and Adelaide from December 4-8 and December 17-21 respectively, the remaining three Tests will only have four-day gaps between them.
"I'm trying to get right, and if I get right then hopefully I'll try to play most of it as I can," Cummins said.
The pacer will remain with the Australian side during the Ashes opener.
"Before the 2023 ODI World Cup I flew over to South Africa and watched the last couple of ODIs there," he said.
"It was actually a really different view from the coach's box. It's a different perspective. Hopefully, I gather some information from being in that position through the Test that later on in the series I can use."
"Or maybe Steve Smith needs something and I have seen something differently from up there. But being close to the game and the conversations, I think I will need that going into the second or third Test," Cummins added.
