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Pat Cummins speaks out about his chances of playing in Ashes 2025 Opener against England

Rajgeeta Yadav

Pat Cummins breaks silence [Source: AFP]Pat Cummins breaks silence [Source: AFP]

After weeks of speculation about his fitness, Australian captain Pat Cummins has finally spoken about whether he’ll play in the first Ashes Test against England, starting November 21 in Perth. Cummins has been recovering from a lower back injury that has kept him out of action for several months, and while he remains hopeful, he admits it’s “probably less likely than likely” that he’ll be fit in time.

Speaking at a Fox Cricket event in Sydney, Cummins said he’s slowly building up his training routine. “I’m running today and every second day. Each session gets a bit longer,” he explained. 

 "I'm probably a couple of weeks away before actually putting on the spikes and bowling out on the turf. But it's been a good couple of weeks. Each session feels better and better," he added.

Pat Cummins opens up on his recovery process

The Australia skipper added that if he’s to play a five-day Test match, he needs at least a month of solid bowling practice beforehand. He said, 

 “You'd want probably at least a month in the nets. If you are to play in a Test match, you want to make sure you are right to bowl 20 overs in a day and you don't have to think about it. Four weeks is pretty tight, but I think somewhere around that mark."

Cummins described his recovery process as slow but positive. He’s been focusing on strengthening specific muscles and easing stiffness that comes from not bowling for a while.

 "It's kind of a little bit stiff, just probably a little bit from the injury but then also because it hasn't been used for a while," Cummins said. 

"Each session you do a little bit of run and make sure you pull up alright. So I'm actually feeling really good at the moment. A few of the symptoms hung around for a little bit longer than I would have liked but they're all gone now. I'm just trying to kind of increase the workload and make sure body's responding," he added.

Meanwhile, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald also said a final decision on Cummins’ availability will be made closer to the match.

The Ashes 2025–26 series will kick off in Perth from November 21 to 25, followed by Tests in Brisbane (Dec 4–8), Adelaide, Melbourne (17-21), and finally Sydney, where the series will wrap up on January 7, 2026.