Australian captain Pat Cummins' Ashes hopes hang on mid-October back scan results

The Australian captain said on Friday that there were still “no hard and fast plans” about what his comeback plan from a back injury will look like, but it’s understood a third scan in mid-October will play a key role in prescribing when a return to bowling might be possible.

Cummins was initially scanned when he returned home from the three-Test tour of the West Indies in July and then again at the start of this month, revealing that bone lumbar stress in his lower back was yet to heal and was putting the skipper in a race against time for the Ashes.

It’s understood the issue is clearing but it’s a question of how quickly, and Cummins would need to be given the green light to return to bowling and training after his next scan in mid-October if he’s to be any chance of proving his fitness for the first Test against England starting on November 27 in Perth.

If the scan shows the recovery is going to plan, Australia hope Cummins will join them in Adelaide from October 20 to start training alongside ODI teammates under the guidance of team strength and conditioning staff.

“There are no hard and fast plans yet at the moment, I’m still doing a bit of gym and keeping things kicking over,” Cummins said on Friday at the announcement of $50 million in Government funding for his Cricket for Climate initiative saving community sporting clubs around the country.

“But with this kind of injury, it’s rest and then we’ll build back and kind of work back from the Ashes.

“So nothing’s changed (from when he last spoke last week). Still really hopeful to be able to be part of the Ashes but it is a little bit of a wait and see.

“But at the moment I’m feeling pretty good, so nothing’s changed.

“No doubt I’ll probably join them (Australian ODI squad). I know they’re in Sydney, but maybe even Adelaide, and join up with all the physios.”

Australian fast bowling great Brett Lee has spoken out and urged Cummins to be cautious with his return and not to race back for the first Test for the sake of it being an Ashes when he has the rest of his career ahead of him.

This is the balance Cummins and Australia’s medical team must weigh up over the coming couple of months.

Cummins made it clear he would not put himself up for an Ashes Test if he had any concerns about breaking down and leaving Australia short.

“I won’t go into a Test where I feel like I can break down or whatever like that,” Cummins said.

Fellow Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has warned it could be a big ask to come back from this sort of back injury straight into an Ashes with no match practice – but Cummins insists he isn’t daunted by this spike in intensity.

“I don’t think it’s vital,” Cummins said.

“Ideally you’re playing say ODIs and then you’re playing a Shield game. That’s probably what the other boys are doing. That was probably my original plan. But I think we’ll work out a program where I’m ready to play.

“… If you’d asked me 10 years ago I would have said I really feel like in myself I need to play games.

“Now it’s centre wickets, net sessions. I’ve bowled a lot more overs. I feel like I can kind of get up to Test level pretty quickly.”

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Meanwhile, Australia has suffered another pre-Ashes injury setback, with Josh Inglis ruled out of the three-game T20 tour of New Zealand with a right calf strain suffered while training in Perth earlier this week.

Alex Carey will replace Inglis in the T20s which kick off early next month.

Inglis, who played three Tests away this year, will aim to return in time for the home ODI series against India later in October and should be able to still push his case for Ashes selection in Australia’s middle order if a vacancy was to arise.