Australia captain Pat Cummins’ participation in the all-important Ashes against England could be in jeopardy, according to a report. The five-match Test series kicks off on November 21, with the first game at the Optus Stadium in Perth. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Heraldthe 32-year-old pacer is set to be ruled out of the series opener and may miss the whole series, with fresh round of scans revealing that his back stress problem has not yet healed.

“According to two sources with knowledge of confidential discussions but not authorised to speak publicly, 32-year-old Cummins had the update scan last week to clarify his progress ahead of the Test summer and was told that while the stress “hot spot” was healing, it has not yet cleared up enough for him to bowl,” the report said.

The report also added that star batter Steve Smith will lead the team in Cummins’ absence, with Victoria pacer Scott Boland certain to be the third quick in Perth behind Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc.

Cummins’ injury is a major blow to Australia’s chances of retaining the Ashes Urn, although Boland has shown a lot of promise in his short Test career so far.

Last month, Cummins was asked if there was a possibility he would miss the start of the Ashes. He admitted, “That would be devastating.”

“We’ll be doing everything we can to be right for that, [and] make a few decisions a little bit closer, but [I’m] confident we’ll do the rehab right and give it a good crack.

“This far out it’s hard to know, but we’re trying to make sure we’re doing everything right to be right for Perth. It’s a big Ashes series, [it] doesn’t get much bigger, so you’re willing to be aggressive and take a few risks to try to play as much of the Tests as you can.

“I’ve had a really good run as fast bowling goes, and I’ve been really well looked after, which has got me through this many Tests. I’ve bowled a lot over the last few years, something was bound to happen at some point, but hopefully get this right and don’t miss too much cricket.