Australia coach confirms Pat Cummins will play a role in Ashes but may miss Tests after back injury

Australia captain Pat Cummins is expected to "take a significant part" in the upcoming Ashes but may not play in all five Tests after a lumbar bone stress injury was detected in a routine scan, coach Andrew McDonald said Wednesday.

McDonald told SEN Radio that while Cummins remains in the selectors' plans for the series that begins in Perth on Nov. 21, uncertainty persists over the pace bowler's workload and availability across the full five-Test summer. "We are confident that he's going to partake in the Ashes so I think to sensationalise that he's not would be an over-reaction," McDonald said.

The injury was identified after Australia's tour of the West Indies, McDonald said, and Cummins will follow a rehabilitation program that rules him out of Australia's white-ball series against New Zealand and India that precede the Ashes. McDonald indicated Cummins will be involved with the white-ball squad while progressing his return to cricket but cautioned that the team never planned for every fast bowler to play all five Tests.

"From the get-go, we never really planned for five Test matches for most of our fast bowlers," McDonald said. "Over the last couple of years we have been lucky with shortened games early in the summer, to be able to deliver five Test matches (for a fast bowler). We will see what that looks like for Pat. But there is a lot more information to come...we look forward to our captain taking a significant part in the Ashes."

McDonald confirmed that if Cummins is unavailable for any Test, veteran Steve Smith would assume the captaincy. "We are well-enough drilled, Steve Smith has got a lot of captaincy experience," McDonald said. "It seems an obvious choice. We are well covered, he understands how the team operates and he's a very good leader in his own right." The coach said no formal decision had been required yet because there is no final timeline for Cummins' return.

The Ashes, England's marquee Test series against Australia, opens in Perth on November 21. Australia's fast-bowling group has been managed in recent seasons with rotation and load management to preserve players across long campaigns; McDonald reiterated that approach while the team monitors medical updates and the captain's progress.

Selectors and team medical staff are expected to provide further information in the coming weeks as Cummins advances through his rehabilitation. For now, McDonald sought to strike a balance between caution and reassurance, saying he did not want to overstate the injury's severity but acknowledged the need to manage Cummins' workload ahead of a demanding Ashes schedule.