MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia captain Pat Cummins will miss the Ashes series opener against England next month in Perth.
Cricket Australia on Monday said Cummins has resumed runnning after being sidelined for three months with a back stress injury but “will not be fit in time for the opening match.” It added that Cummins “expects to return to bowling shortly.”
Former skipper Steve Smith will lead Australia in Cummins’ absence when the biggest test series on the 2025 calendar starts on Nov. 21, followed by a day-night test in Brisbane from Dec. 4. The five-match series then moves to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
His absence means Scott Boland is likely to join Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in Australia's pace attack in Perth, where conditions usually favor pace bowling.
In nine home tests, Boland has taken 49 wickets at an average of 12.63 — including his debut in 2021 when he snared six wickets for seven runs in a second-innings burst that secured a huge win for Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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