Australia’s Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has been ruled out of all white-ball cricket for 2025 after scans revealed lumbar bone stress, an injury sustained during the Caribbean tour which has persisted. This means Cummins will miss the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India, including the three ODIs beginning October 19 against India, which could feature batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The injury setback is a major blow to Australia’s Ashes preparations, jeopardizing the captain’s participation in the Ashes 2025-26 series starting November 21 in Perth.
Cummins shared his feelings about the injury, saying, “At this stage of my career I feel like I can probably get up to speed a bit quicker than when I was 18 or 19. Back then you probably feel like you need to play a few [Sheffield] Shield games or one-dayers. I’m pretty confident even if I don’t get a chance to play a Shield game, I’ll can get up to speed.” He added, “Do the rehab right and give it a good crack. It’s a big Ashes series. It doesn’t get much bigger, so I think you’re willing to take a few risks and be a little bit aggressive to try and play as much Test [cricket] as you can.” (as quoted by TheSportsTak).
Despite missing multiple white-ball fixtures including the T20s and ODIs in the Caribbean and Australia, Cummins remains focused on rehabilitation, aiming to be fit for the five-Test Ashes series. However, Cummins will lack much-needed game time ahead of the series and might only feature in a Sheffield Shield game or two before returning directly to the international arena. He expressed confidence that his rhythm will return quickly once he is back.
On Australia’s bowling strength without him, Cummins mentioned: “We always talk about we need a lot of depth. We’ve been lucky in the last couple of years. We kind of haven’t had to go past the four guys really, but guys like Sean Abbott… Doggy [Brendan Doggett], there’s about four or five guys. Ness [Michael Neser] has obviously been around, Jhye Richardson. There’s guys who have been in and around the Test team over the last few years and haven’t had too many opportunities, but we know they’re going to be good enough if they’re needed. But hopefully the other three are going to be fighting fit, plus me, and we’ve got plenty of resources.”
Australian selectors have already made some changes, resting all-rounder Cameron Green for the New Zealand T20I series so he can bowl longer spells in the Sheffield Shield. Additionally, Beau Webster is seen as an extra seam-bowling option who can contribute with pace, adding more depth to Australia’s bowling arsenal in case Cummins is unavailable.With a busy Test schedule and five Ashes Tests compressed into seven weeks, the management will closely monitor Cummins’ rehabilitation and readiness. While the injury is not classified as a stress fracture, medicos will determine if his back can withstand the Ashes workload. The team remains cautiously optimistic but is prepared with bowling alternatives to cover for Cummins if necessary.