Andrew McDonald, the Australian coach, has acknowledged that the Australian captain's time is running out. Pat Cummins has been sidelined for a while due to lower back lumbar bone stress, though the scan indicates that he is making progress. Pat Cummins is becoming a bigger worry as the Ashes series approaches. In the prestigious series, Australia will suffer a significant defeat if its captain is unable to arrive on time.
McDonald admitted that he is still hopeful that the captain could make his return to the crease in 10 days. The official website of ICC cited the quote of McDonald, “Patty and I have spoken about that type of timeframe.” Adding on to that, he said, "Or else you begin to introduce other risk factors. A: You are not skill-ready, or B: Soft tissue injuries become a serious risk." And if you do a soft tissue injury early in a series like the Ashes, it'll be a long way back from where he's been. So we'll be aware of all of the risk variables."
Decision on Cummins' first test fitness to be made next week, says coach
He also confirmed that a decision on Cummins' inclusion will be made next week, but acknowledged that the schedule is becoming increasingly tight.
"We still don't know if he'll play the first Test, and we're running out of time. He has added several variables to his training. "I think by this time next week, we'll be in a better position to make a judgment about what that first Test match looks like," McDonald told ESPNcricinfo.
The Australian coach also confirms that even if Cummins missed out on the first test match, he is hopeful that he will be able to play the rest of the series.
He said to Cricinfo that "I haven't really delved into what it looks like without him for five Test matches because the information and the week that he's had would suggest he's going to play some part as it sits right now."
"Those who have had lumbar bone stress will realize that it's a journey to add all of these factors in, how you pull up and recover, and it may fluctuate a little bit throughout the rehab. So, we'll just have to wait and see. There is now no reason to believe that he will miss the entire series," he continued.
If the scenario becomes worse, then Australian former captain and test legend Steve Smith will have to step in as captain. Coach McDonald is also confident about replacements. Scott Boland, who has an incredible Test record in Australia, will be the first choice, and his average in Australia is 12.63.
