Pat Cummins Expected to Play a Major Role in Upcoming Ashes Series

Australia are feeling a bit confident that Pat Cummins will return to the Ashes squad with full fitness. There is a growing optimism in the team that the Australian leader will feature in the major part of the series. The team management has not made any final decision yet, but Cummins’ progress in the rehabilitation process has given positive signs to everyone.

Besides Cummins, Cameron Green’s availability for the upcoming Ashes series also looks positive. The chair of selectors, George Bailey, sounded confident that Cameron Green will be fit in time to feature in the Ashes as an all-rounder.

While speaking to the media, George Bailey said that he does not know whether Cummins had started bowling, however, his reports of steady progression have given him plenty of hope to look forward to.

"I actually have no further update on that from when I think the last time Pat spoke. It's progressing. He's building up. He's optimistic about it. I think actually the more he's done over the last few days, the more optimistic he's become but I categorically don't know if he's bowled a ball.” said George Bailey.

He then said that the time to make a decision is really short, however, he is confident that Cummins will show the progress that is needed for the final selection.

"We know time is getting short and there's permutations around that, not just around the back, but other factors as well. It's positive. [We're] really confident that he's going to play a major part. Hopefully it's the first Test. If not, then we'll pick it up." said George Bailey.

Speaking about the contingency plans, George Bailey said that they will go in with Steve Smith if Cummins does not get fit in time. They have full confidence in the leadership skills of Smith, who has been one of Australia’s star performers in Test cricket over the years.

When asked about the question of Cameron Green’s fitness, George Bailey said that the recent scans of the all-rounder are very positive, reflecting the signs of further improvement. The reports of Green are all clear, hence there are fewer worries about his availability in the upcoming series against England.

"It is minor and it's conservative, and I think this decision probably ensures that we do have enough time to make sure. We put so much time and energy into building out the plan for him to be available for the first Test as an allrounder. So for the sake of, he was only going to play the first two ODIs anyway, the way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, even if it just sets him back for 24 more hours, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively.” said George Bailey.

He elaborated that Cameron Green is currently planning to play Shield games. This will give him some game time, allowing his body to regain full fitness before the start of the Ashes. It should be noted that Green is an important all-rounder for Australia, providing the team with a perfect balance.

“He'll keep his plan of playing Shield [round] three and Shield four. I'm not across what overs there will be in that, but the plan will remain, and that should provide pretty good time that he'd in a good place to be ready to bowl." said George Bailey.

Speaking about Webster, Bailey said that his inclusion in the Ashes series is almost confirmed, as he does not have any major injury issues. Recently, it was reported that Webster has a minor ankle problem and has been advised to rest in order to recover.

"Last time he rolled his ankle, I think about five weeks later, he had a bit of a soft tissue injury," Bailey said. "[We] just sort of [took] Beau through the journey of let's work back from Sydney, rather than up to Perth. For the sake of one extra week, get it right, launch yourself into into Shield three.” said George Bailey.

The Ashes series between Australia and England is slated to start from November 21. Both teams are preparing their squads for the first challenge in Perth, which is expected to be highly thrilling. There are concerns of injuries in both teams, so formulating a squad by navigating this issue looks like a key challenge.