Pat Cummins fights to be fit for ashes opener as English pundits rule him out

The English pundits give him no chance of playing the first Ashes Test in a month’s time, but Pat Cummins is doing everything he can to prove to selectors he can be fit and firing for the series.

Cummins, who is expected to miss at least the first of the five-Test series with a lower back injury, was pictured training at Cricket Central in western Sydney on Wednesday.

The Australian captain worked up a sweat as he was put through his paces but was not pictured with ball in hand.

The 32-year-old was facing a first Test deadline of having to bowl by this week if he was any chance of being selected in the squad.

Steve Smith, who will take over as captain if Cummins does not play, said on Tuesday Cummins had not resumed bowling training since his injury was revealed in September.

“He’s started his running, I was in here training as well. I think he obviously hasn’t started bowling yet, but he gets into things pretty quickly,” Smith said.

“He probably doesn’t need as much preparation as Josh (Hazlewood) or (Mitchell) Starc.

“Things can turn around pretty quickly. We’ll see where everything lands with him. He’s obviously got a few things to tick off and get into his bowling. He’s in good spirits.

“The team’s obviously better with him in it, for sure. Hopefully, he can get right. If he plays three Tests or five Tests or two Tests, as many as we can get out of him, it’s the best thing for the team.”

Cummins is yet to rule himself out of the Ashes, after withdrawing from the limited overs series against India this month, and has said he would be able to take part despite having played no lead-in games for Australia or NSW in the Sheffield Shield.

Last week he said he feared earlier in the month he would not play in the Ashes at all, but was now confident he could still take part with an eye on the second or third Test.

“I know how many steps you need to tick off with bowling at high pace, 20 overs a day without pain. It felt a log way away a few weeks ago,” he said.

“Whereas now it feels a little bit closer, a few less steps away.”

Scott Boland will replace him in the Australian side and, despite not having a great track record against England, is a more than able replacement for Cummins, who has taken 301 wickets at an average of 19.92 on home soil over the past eight years.

Meanwhile, the usual suspects of English cricket have declared Cummins will not play the first Test.

“He’s definitely not starting,” Former England captain Michael Vaughan told the Stick To Cricket podcast.

“And I’ll ask the bowler (co-host Chris Woakes) — a stress fracture is not good, is it? You’re not suddenly going to get a massage and (be) alright to play.

“That is time. And if there’s any slight hotspot, no chance.”

Woakes, who recently retired from international cricket after missing out on a spot in England’s Ashes squad, said Cummins is walking a fine line if and when he plays.

“I think if he comes back into the Ashes and feels it at all, that’ll be him done,” he said.

“There’s an element of needing some cricket beforehand and overs under your belt.

“Trying to build up from a stress fracture is tough.

“I also feel like going into an Ashes series, walking out there in the cauldron of a first Test match at Perth, you want to know you’ve got a bit behind you, not nothing.

“Obviously there are players that need more than others, but he’ll be working behind the scenes to make sure he’s got enough.”

Alastair Cook added: “It’s also not just the back, is it?

“Suddenly the first time you come back and bowl, everything hurts.”

The omission of Cummins means more than just losing a wicket-taker, as Australian bowling great Glenn McGrath explained.

“That’s a big blow if Cummo’s not playing in that first Test match,” McGrath told The Fast Bowling Cartel.

“And it’s not just his bowling, it’s the attitude and the aura that the Australian bowling attack has. When you lose one of your main members, it has a positive impact on the other team.

“Scotty Boland’s got such a great record here in Australia, hopefully he can continue that.”

With 7NEWS