Pat Cummins issues official statement on comeback amid Ashes 2025-26; likely to be available for…

Australia's Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins opened up about his comeback to international cricket during the second Test of the Ashes 2025-26 series against England. Cummins also revealed the reason behind his absence from the ongoing Test in Brisbane, saying that the team had taken the precaution.

The right-arm pacer missed the first two Test matches of the Ashes because of a back injury he suffered during the West Indies tour in July. Cummins was ruled out of the opening Test. However, he was considered a possible option for the second Test at the Gabba after bowling pain-free in the nets in Perth.

Australia’s selectors decided not to rush him back and chose to wait longer for his recovery. Cummins has stayed with the team in Brisbane and continued his training as he works toward returning to the side.

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I Should Be Right for Adelaide - Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins revealed that he is targeting a comeback in the third Test in Adelaide. He is expected to be available unless something unexpected happens ahead of the match, which is scheduled to begin on December 17.

During commentary, Cummins said he will have another couple of bowling sessions before the team reaches Adelaide. He added that as long as there are no setbacks, he will be ready to play.

"I should be right for Adelaide," Cummins told Fox Cricket.

"I'll have one more bowl tomorrow and then we'll go to Adelaide and have another bowl there. Barring any hiccups, I'll be good to go. The body feels great," he added.

I Haven't Done Back-to-Back Bowls - Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins shared that he was quite close to making a return in the Brisbane Test. He said that he has not yet tested himself with back-to-back bowling sessions, which is a key requirement before entering a Test match.

"I'm bowling at 100 per cent. The big question mark when coming back from a bone injury is we tend to have a bowl, have a couple of days off, recover, bowl, bowl. I haven't done back-to-back bowls," Cummins added.

"One of the high-risk things going into a Test match is you're going to be expected to bowl two days in a row, maybe three days in a row, and potentially quite a few overs," he continued.

We Felt That Was Too Risky - Pat Cummins

The 32-year-old said that the team discussed different possibilities, including limiting his workload to around 20-25 overs. However, Cummins felt the plan was still uncertain and would not have been fair to the rest of the attack or to himself as captain.

"So we felt that was too risky. We started to kind of game plan a bit; could we try and maybe bowl maybe 20 overs, 25 overs? With Greeny [Cameron Green] in the side as an all-rounder we feel like we have lots of bowling," Cummins stated.

"We tried to map out a way where I could play but it just felt a little bit too cute in the end, and didn't really feel fair on the other bowlers, or even myself as a captain ... It didn't feel like the right Test match to take that risk, so we'll kick it down the road a week."

Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin hails West Indies after fourth-innings fightback in 1st Test vs New Zealand