The loss of Cummins with a back stress injury is a massive blow to Australia\u2019s chances of retaining the Ashes urn that Australia have held since 2017.<\/p>\n
England have not won a Test on Australian soil since 2011 but will be given a major fillip by the news they will not be facing Australia\u2019s strongest leader and fast-bowling spearhead.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThat would be devastating,\u201d Cummins said in Brisbane a month ago when asked if there was a possibility he would miss the start of the Ashes. \u201cWe\u2019ll be doing everything we can to be right for that, [and] make a few decisions a little bit closer, but [I\u2019m] confident we\u2019ll do the rehab right and give it a good crack.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis far out, it\u2019s hard to know, but we\u2019re trying to make sure we\u2019re doing everything right to be right for Perth. It\u2019s a big Ashes series, [it] doesn\u2019t get much bigger, so you\u2019re willing to be aggressive and take a few risks to try to play as much of the Tests as you can.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had a really good run as fast bowling goes, and I\u2019ve been really well looked after, which has got me through this many Tests. I\u2019ve bowled a lot over the last few years, something was bound to happen at some point, but hopefully get this right and don\u2019t miss too much cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cummins\u2019 first state captain, Simon Katich, has raised the possibility of a left-field selection among the pace bowlers as a back-up option \u2013 the speedy Henry Thornton, who recently starred for Australia A in India.<\/p>\n
\u201cI reckon there might be a smoky as well, a young kid from New South Wales who is now in South Australia who has just played recently for Australia A, if that\u2019s any indicator of how the selectors might be thinking,\u201d Katich told SEN Radio. \u201cThat\u2019s Henry Thornton, he\u2019s 28 now, but he\u2019s still young in terms of being inexperienced.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s only played seven first-class games, but he\u2019s a wicket-taker, and that\u2019s something they might be looking at because we know Pat Cummins cracks games open by taking wickets in bursts of two or three at a time. But I think Scott Boland comes first in if he misses that first Test.\u201d<\/p>\n