Australia and England are all set to face each other in the Ashes later this year. Both these teams have experienced contrasting futures in red-ball cricket recently.
Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and ended up as runners-up in the WTC 2025 final. England on the other hand played out a 2-2 draw against India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series. It has been a decade since England won the Ashes and courtesy of their renewed ‘bazball’ template they will fancy their chances of winning the coveted urn.
Pat Cummins Breaks Silence On His Recovery
Pat Cummins missing the Ashes will be a huge setback for Australia. After the Australia vs West Indies series, Pat Cummins had experienced some soreness. Scans revealed that the Australia skipper had a bone stress, but fortunately he did not sustain any fractures. Cummins has now spoken about a roadmap that might enable him to recover on time for the much-awaited Test series.
“I’d imagine (I’d want to be bowling) at minimum a month out, maybe six weeks. I’ve not thought that deeply about it yet. It’s still a bit of a wait and see. We’ve got plenty of time, so we’ll map a way back when we get closer. At the moment for the next few weeks it’s pretty light. Not much running and zero bowling,” said the Australia skipper.
Stress fractures are something that has always bothered the Australian Test captain. Cummins who debuted in Test cricket in 2011, played his second game in 2017 and this is a testament to the fact that how serious this injury is for him.
Ashes 2025-26 Schedule
- Nov 21-Nov 25: 1st Test at Perth Stadium
- Dec 4-Dec 8: 2nd Test at The Gabba
- Dec 17-Dec 21: 3rd Test at the Adelaide Oval
- Dec 26-Dec 30: 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Jan 4-Jan 8: 5th Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Crucial World Test Championship Points Up For Grabs In Ashes 2025
Australia and England, both are in the top five of the World Test Championship standings. Australia are at the top of the WTC rankings and they are yet to lose a game in the current cycle. England on the other hand have played five games and they lost two. The Ben Stokes-led side has a PCT of 43.33. The upcoming Ashes series will be a good opportunity for both the teams to race past each other in the WTC standings.