Last Updated on 24 hours by Charbel Coorey

Australian coach Andrew McDonald insists the team is not panicking over captain Pat Cummins’ lower-back injury, even as concerns grow with the Ashes series just two months away. Cummins has been managing a lumbar bone stress issue that flared up during the tour of the West Indies earlier this year.

McDonald confirmed Cummins will miss the upcoming white-ball series against New Zealand and India in October but remains hopeful the skipper will play a key part in the Ashes, set to begin on November 21 in Perth.

“We have got time. If it happened any closer (to the Ashes) then you would have to be making key decisions around what it all looks like,” McDonald told SEN radio, as quoted by ABC News.

“But we have got time, a lot more information to come, and as I said, we’re really hopeful that he will take a key part in the Ashes.”

Andrew McDonald says it’s unlikely Australian bowlers will play all five Ashes Tests

The captain’s workload and return plan are under close monitoring. McDonald said Cummins is currently in a rest phase, with no bowling or running, and that team management is treating his recovery with caution.

Cummins has reportedly set a loose target to resume bowling at least four to six weeks before the first Test. That would allow him time to build up workload, although there is no guarantee he will feature in every match of the five-Test series.

“From the get-go, we never really planned for five Test matches for most of our fast bowlers,” McDonald said.

“Over the last couple of years we have been lucky with shortened games early in the summer, to be able to deliver five Test matches [for a fast bowler]. We will see what that looks like for Pat.”

Australia’s pace depth has been a recurring talking point, and McDonald stressed the squad has backup options. Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland are being kept ready as Cummins continues his recovery.

Still, the coach acknowledged that the timing is not ideal. “If it happened any closer to the Ashes, then you’d have to be making key decisions around what it all looks like,” McDonald said. He added there is “a lot more information to come” and expressed confidence the captain would still shoulder a big part of the series.

With the opening Test in Perth drawing near, the coming weeks will be pivotal. Australia must balance fitness management with performance demands and determine how much of the Ashes load Cummins can carry without risking further injury.