Australia skipper Cummins to do 'whatever it takes' to play Ashes

Pat Cummins says he will do whatever it takes to play the Ashes
against England starting in November, with the Australian skipper prepared to
"take a few risks" with a back injury that has sidelined him.
The 32-year-old pace spearhead has been ruled out of upcoming white-ball series
against New Zealand and India with "lumbar bone stress", casting a
shadow over Australia's Ashes preparations.
He has not bowled since their Test tour of the West Indies in
June-July, restricted to just light gym duties with no date set for a return.
The first
Ashes Test starts in 12 weeks in Perth and Cummins told cricket.com.au he was
"willing to take a few risks" to fast-track his recovery.
"I'm never going to go into a Test match unless you think you can finish
the Test match," he said.
"But
when you're 18 or 19, you're like, 'Let's make sure this is the perfect rehab,
whether it takes an extra six months'.
"Whereas
I'm happy to be a bit like, 'Well, it's an Ashes series, whatever it takes to
play it'.
"Then, say, at the end, if you're still not 100 percent and you need to
then have a bit of a break next year, there's not another Ashes series."
Whether he
fronts up in Perth remains to be seen with medical staff set to
"reassess" him in a month's time. It will also depend on how fellow
quicks Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are faring.
Cummins
has suffered serious back issues several times over the years, including a
flare-up in 2018 that kept him out action for a full off-season.
But he has
missed just one Test through injury since taking over as Test captain four
years ago and said the current problem felt "worlds away" from his
previous troubles.
"I've
bowled a lot over the last few years, so something was bound to happen at some
point. But hopefully I get this right and don't miss too much cricket," he
said.
Australia
retained the Ashes in England in 2023, after the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
They also
enjoyed a 4-0 sweep of England at home in 2021-22. Cummins was the leading
wicket-taker with 21 scalps at an average of 18.
The first
Test starts on November 21.
















