Last Updated on 6 months ago by Charbel Coorey

After weeks of speculation, Pat Cummins has officially been ruled out of the first Ashes Test which begins on November 21 at Perth’s Optus Stadium. The captain is yet to resume bowling after suffering a lumbar bone stress injury during the West Indies series.

Earlier this month, reports suggested it was “effectively impossible” for Cummins to play the opening Test. It has turned out to be the case with the fast bowler now aiming to feature a little later in the series.

Pat Cummins out of first Ashes Test at Perth, hopes to be ready for Brisbane

Cricket Australia (CA) announced that Cummins is back running. However, he “expects to return to bowling shortly”, which means the turnaround is too tight to be ready for the first Test of the blockbuster series.

According to CODE Sports, Cummins has been “flogging himself in the gym and running track” with the aim of returning in the second Test in Brisbane or third Test in Adelaide.

Scott Boland will be Cummins’ replacement on the bowling front. Certain England pundits including Michael Atherton have expressed confidence regarding Boland’s inclusion, but the fast bowler’s incredible home record of 49 wickets at 12.63 makes him a threatening proposition for Ben Stokes’ team.

Also, Steve Smith will captain. Smith has led Australia 40 times in Test matches, and it brings out the best in his batting. He has notched up 4,139 runs at an average of 68.98 as skipper.

Smith’s captaincy is something Kerry O’Keeffe is a huge fan of. In an interview with CricBlog, O’Keeffe said his tactical understanding of the game will hold Australia in good stead.

“The fact that Smith is the likely captain adds more than Cummins’ loss to this team,” O’Keeffe said.

“He’s ahead of the game. Pat relied on him. He was the mind I’m sure he went to if he was compromised. Smith’s always ahead of the game. We lose nothing with him as captain. In fact, we may even be better.”