Australia captain Pat Cummins is expected to miss the Ashes opener due to a stress injury on his back.

Cummins’ back issue cropped up during his assessment after Australia’s tour of the West Indies earlier this year. Scans didn’t show a fracture, but the bone stress was said to be significant enough to demand rest and rehabilitation.

Cummins has been ruled out of the white-ball series against New Zealand and has ruled out for the upcoming India tour.

As per scans conducted last week revealed that Cummins’ back stress injury has not healed enough for him to resume bowling.

While the 32-year old had remained confident about playing a key role in the series, the medical update has effectively ruled him out of the first test which begins on November 21.

With Cummins sidelined, Steve Smith is expected to take over as stand-in captain for the opening match against Ben Stokes’ England.

The scans showed some improvement in the affected area, but the stress ‘hot spot’ has not clearled fully – a development that has pushed Cummins’ potential return timeline to the final weeks of the year.

Cricket Australia has declined to comment on the fast bowler’s condition, but the silence has only reinforced the growing uncertainity around his availability.

Cummins may return for the tail end of the series, but that also remained speculative. His absence could have impact on Austrlia’s bowling plans. Scott Boland will likely to partner with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc as the third seamer in Perth, stepping into a role made vacant by the team’s leading quick.

The loss of Cummins, both as strike bowler and captain is a significant setback for Australia as they attempt to retain the Ashes urn, which they have held since 2018.

Pat Cummins’ injury comes on the back of an intense period of bowling across formats. Desphit his workload, the captain had expressed hope in recent weeks that he could recover in time.

“That would be devastating,” Pat Cummins reflected on the possibility of missing the Ashes. “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.”

“It’s hard to know this far out, but we’re trying to make sure we’re doing everything right to be ready 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,” Cummins concluded.

Australia are set to host India in October with the ODI leg to start on October 19 at Optus Stadium and the tour ends of November 08 ahead of the Ashes.