New Delhi: Pat Cummins, who will miss the all-important Ashes opener due to an injury, is gearing up to feature in the second Test match, it was confirmed on Thursday. The Ashes 2025 will begin with the first Test match on November 21 at the Optus stadium with the second Test set to be played from December 4 at The Gabba, Brisbane.
While the captain remains on track to return for the second Ashes Test match but admitted at the same time that he might not play all the four remaining matches against England due to the short turnarounds between the games.
In absence of Cummins, Steve Smith will lead Australia in the opening Test match. The 32-year-old has been sidelined by a lower-back injury since July but was able to bowl a spell of eight overs without feeling any pain in his back on Wednesday.
Cummins, who was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au, said that the aim is to be back in the second Test match also said that the decision will be taken after getting a bit closer to the date. He added that the good thing is that he is pulling up well and the body is great. They will keep that second Test as a live option.
Cummins not to feature in each of the four Tests
The Australia skipper said that he may not feature in each of the four Test matches after missing the opener at Perth on November 21 so as 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.
There is a long gap between the second and third Test to be played at Brisbane and Adelaide from December 4 to 8 and December 17 to 21 while the remaining three Tests will only have four-day gaps between them.
(With PTI inputs)